The Paranormal
by classicdisneyFTW
Summary: Rapunzel didn't cry over Eugene when he died so he was not revived. Rapunzel goes back to her real home to continue her life. Meanwhile, Eugene is given a second chance to come back, but he has to find a way to reunite himself with his body. T to be safe.
1. Dead

_I got this idea entirely by accident. I was extremely bored one day and decided to start putting clips of Tangled together into just a fan-made trailer focusing on the drama and emotion rather than the comedy. Then as it went on, the original story sort of disappeared and this plot came about. I kept telling myself "this is stupid. This is a stupid idea" but it wouldn't leave me alone, so here we go._

_I normally am not a big fan of this type of genre, but like I said, this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I've got an ending in mind already. If I get enough positive feedback, I might actually finish it._

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tangled. All rights to Disney. I'm just a hopeless romantic who dreams of owning all the amazing Disney movies._

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"You were my new dream." Eugene's words could barely be heard as his last bit of strength was draining from his body.

Rapunzel would have been beyond happy if he had said that under normal circumstances, but now as he was dying in her arms, she felt that those words would be the last thing she would ever hear him speak. She held his hand close to her cheek, heart breaking.

"And you were mine," she whispered. It seemed like the right thing to say and it was entirely true. She _had_ hoped for a future with him. She had allowed herself to dream of what it would be like to spend the rest of their lives together. A perfect life, away from Moth-Gothel, away from all their troubles. It would have been wonderful.

But now it seemed hopeless. She felt his hand go limp in her's and she could no longer hear him breathing. He was dead.

Once again, Rapunzel did not react in the way she expected herself to. She had thought she would throw herself on top of him and cry her eyes out, begging him to come back, but instead... she just sat there. Sat there staring at his lifeless face. She was in too much shock to do anything.

She wasn't sure how long she remained frozen, staring at him like she was, but she knew it must have been a long time because the next thing she knew, the sun was setting outside. The pink and orange glow washed over her, waking her from her trance.

Why was she not crying? She had completely baffled herself. She had cried when she thought she had betrayed Mo- Gothel, she had cried when she thought they were going to drown in that cave, she had cried when she thought that Eugene had left her with the crown. Now, the only person that mattered to her anymore was dead and she had not even shed a tear. Why?

She sighed, confused and pained by her lack of emotion. She forced herself to think rationally. She couldn't stay in the tower forever, but where could she go? She suddenly remembered the discovery she had made just a few hours ago. She was the lost princess. She would have to go back to the kingdom to her real parents. Where else could she go anyway?

She looked out the window. The sun was almost completely gone now. She would have to wait until morning before making her way back. She laid her head down on Eugene's cold, unmoving chest and closed her eyes. She didn't think she would fall asleep, but what else could she do? She wanted to be with him until the last possible moment.

**8O8O8O8O8O8O8O8O8**

It was dark. More than dark, it was completely black. Never had Eugene experienced so much blackness in his life. Where was he? What had happened? Oh yeah... he had been stabbed. Did that mean he had died? It must have.

He tried to move, but he couldn't. He seemed completely bound where he was, in the middle of the blackness. It was then that he realized that he did not have a body to move. _Oh..._ Was he doomed to remain like this for all eternity? He had always pictured heaven or hell much differently. Heaven was all white and fluffy with lots of bright light. Hell was dark and dreadful, flames surrounding everything.

Looking around, he knew it was dark and decided that it was pretty awful. All that was lacking were the flames. He must have been in hell. Yep, it had to be. Heaven was supposed to be a place of paradise, this was _not_ paradise. Hell it was then.

He supposed he had deserved it. He had been a thief almost his entire life, he had done more than just injure someone in tavern brawls, and he could be an excessive drinker (but that could hardly count, because he had only gotten drunk once in his entire life and that had not been his fault in the least) He normally could not stand alcohol. It made him sick. Maybe one time drunk was all it took.

"Eugene Fitzherbert!" a voice called through the blackness.

Eugene didn't like the sound of the voice at all, but he made himself answer. "Here," he mumbled, timidly. How he answered, he had no idea, but he did.

A purple ball of light was suddenly shoved into the face he didn't have. Eugene couldn't see the face of who was holding it, but the hand seemed to be human enough. The hand pulled the light back and Eugene could hear the rustling of papers.

"Hmm... hmm..." the voice said in thought, "Ah here we are. Eugene Fitzherbert. Sex: Male, Age: 22, Height: 6'2", Hair: Brown, Eyes: Brown, Died: 3 days ago."

More rustling papers. "Crimes and Sins: Guilty of excessive thieving, three murders (although, all of them seem to be from acts of self-defense), lying (not little ones either), and betrayal."

Eugene would have hung his head if he had one. Every single one of the accusations had been correct. He would not get off lightly here, he could tell.

"Good Deeds and Redemption:" the haunting voice continued, "Acted as a father figure to orphaned children until age 15, accompanied a girl on a perilous journey, gave up life for said girl, made a vow to never thieve again, fell in love..."

"I'm sorry, but what does falling in love have to do with anything?" Eugene interrupted.

"Love is the emotion of true redemption," the voice replied, "In fact, if you had not fallen in love, you probably would not be here."

_But where is here? _Eugene wondered, but he said nothing. There was silence for a moment.

"There's an even balance," the voice finally announced, "So you _do_ belong here after all."

"I don't mean to be pushy, but where is here exactly?" Eugene wondered.

"You're in limbo."

"Limbo?"

"Yes. It's where people come if they have unfulfilled missions, curses, or have an even balance of good and bad deeds."

"Oh." Eugene wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Hmm..." the voice hummed from the darkness, "Well, it seems either you go back or you go to hell."

"Go back?"

"Back," the voice said firmly, "Back to your princess."

"Princess?" Now Eugene was completely confused. He didn't know any princesses.

"Apparently the girl whom you gave up your life for is your kingdom's lost princess."

If he were alive, Eugene probably would have fainted or something, but since he wasn't, he remained where he was. "What?" he choked out.

"You heard me," the voice spoke, "Unfortunately, I cannot reunite you with your body. That takes a power much more powerful than what I obtain. I will have to send you back some other way..."

Eugene waited patiently as whatever was holding the purple orb was thinking. He would give anything to see Rapunzel again. He did not _want_ to leave her alone when he did, but he had no choice. It was either his life and her captivity or his death and her freedom. He of course, chose the latter and died. He was glad she was free and had discovered who she was... the princess. Yikes. He was still happy with his choice though. His only regret was that he never had a chance to kiss her.

"I have it!" the voice broke through the blackness, "It may not be the most convenient for you or your princess, but it's the best I can do. The rest will be up to you."

The purple orb began to glow brighter and brighter, then it began to turn white. Eugene was completely engulfed by the whitest light he had ever seen. "Farewell, Eugene Fitzherbert," the voice said, "Unless, you can find another way to reunite yourself with your body, you will be stuck like this forever."

With that, everything went black and Eugene could no longer feel anything at all.

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_Tell me if you like it. If you do, I'll continue. If not, I'll have to see if I get any other ideas for a story._

_NOTE: I know Eugene is supposed to be 26, but I'm taking creative license and making him 22. _


	2. Alive? Vampire? Paranormal?

_Alrighty then. I've gotten enough feedback to compel me to continue this story. I'm glad you guys are intrigued. This chapter might be a little dry, mostly explaining what Eugene has become. Don't worry, the plot really begins in the near future. :)_

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Down, down, down, down. Eugene was falling. Falling through complete blackness. What was happening? Where was he going? He continued to fall for what seemed like hours. Down, down, down- THUD!

Eugene was suddenly jolted to a stop. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized were closed. Wait, how did he open his eyes? He was told he wouldn't be able to go back to his body. Where was he anyway?

He scanned the area he had landed in. It seemed so familiar. Almost like he had been there before... deja vu. He studied his surroundings more closely. It was one large room with a staircase at one end of it, the walls were painted with all sorts of pictures, there was no door, only a window, there was a broken mirror by the narrow staircase, a long, snake-like mass of brown was sprawled across the floor. Looking closer, he saw that it was hair. Then it hit him. He was in Rapunzel's tower.

The first thing he wondered was why he was sent there. Then he remembered, _my body_! He looked to the staircase. He was pretty sure that's where he had ended up before he died. Sure enough, he spotted a pair of brown, leather boots protruding from the shadows.

He began to make his way over to it, but stopped. If his body was over there, then how was he making his way over to it? He looked down to where his hand should have been, expecting to see nothing, but air. However, he was shocked to find that there was, in fact, a hand there at his side! He had a side too! He had feet! He had a full figure and was wearing the same clothes he had died in. How was that possible if his body was lying on the ground across the room?

He decided to find out. He continued on his way over to his body. He studied it closely. Yes it was him... and just as handsome as ever. If it weren't for the deathly pale cheeks and unmoving chest, Eugene could have sworn that he was only sleeping.

Staring at his body only made him more confused. How was it that he was watching his body, but he had hands, feet, legs, and everything a body was supposed to have. Was there two of him? _Do I have a face?_ he wondered. His body obviously did, but did... whatever he was have a face?

He moved closer to the broken mirror to check. He crouched down beside it and looked. To his shock, nothing was reflected back at him. Not even the hands and feet he had so clearly seen just a second ago. He looked back down and saw his hands, but when he looked back at the mirror, he could no longer see them.

_What the heck?_ Was he some sort of vampire? He had read about those and they didn't have reflections either. He didn't find the thought of drinking blood very appetizing at the moment. Maybe he wasn't a vampire... or was he? Maybe he just wasn't hungry yet.

How could he tell? What else did he know about vampires? They didn't have blood of their own, that's why they drink it. Eugene couldn't tell if he had blood or not unless he...

He delicately picked up a shard of the broken mirror. He expected to feel the cool metal against his finger tips, but he didn't. He couldn't even tell that he was holding anything. Eugene was growing frustrated. Each new discovery he made only confused him more.

Pushing back his frustration, he raised the shard of glass and brought it down onto his exposed arm. The blade went _right through_ his arm and he didn't feel a thing. He stared at the piece of broken mirror in his hand in horror. He tore his eyes away from the object and looked at his arm. The arm, he was sure he had severed off, was still attached to the rest of him and in completely perfect shape, as if nothing had ever happened to it.

Eugene dropped the piece of mirror and stared at his arm, horrified. What was going on? Before he had a chance to try and answer himself, he heard some movement behind him. He whipped around and saw a black hooded figure standing by the window.

Eugene recognized the figure by the glowing purple orb in its hand. "You! What's happened to me?" Eugene asked it.

"You are a paranormal" the figure replied, "An undead spirit, a mysterious figure..."

"You mean, like a ghost?" Eugene wondered.

"Something like that," the figure said, "Have you checked your side?"

Eugene looked at his body, then at the hooded figure. "You mean on my body-?"

"No! On you."

Eugene looked down and saw a hole going through his vest and shirt. He slowly unlatched the vest and checked under his shirt. There was a gaping hole there in his flesh too, as if he had been stabbed. Oh right. He _had_ been stabbed. But there was no blood or any type of gore; just a hole. He looked back at the figure with a questioning stare.

"You are in the exact condition your body is in," the figure told him, "As long as you remain here on this earth, your body will take much longer to decay, but that doesn't mean it won't. You will be able to tell how much your body has decayed just by looking at yourself no matter where you are."

"Naturally, my time is limited to find a way to get into my body," Eugene said sarcastically, "Why can't I just like, you know, get inside it?"

"It won't work," the figure replied, "Your body is still mortally wounded. It cannot survive with such injuries. You cannot live in an injured body."

"Can't I try it?" Eugene asked in an almost whinny tone.

"I am telling you, it won't work," the figure insisted, "But if you so desire, you may try."

Eugene walked over to his body. He was pretty sure he was walking, but he couldn't really tell. Whatever he was doing, it got him to his body's side. He threw a glance at the figure, but it didn't make any movement. Eugene stood over his body, his legs straddling his body's feet. He crouched down and placed his hands behind him, then he slowly eased himself back into a lying position over his body. He laid there on the ground for a minute, unmoving.

He expected to feel somehow different, maybe a little more _alive_. He decided to try sitting up. He propelled himself up into a sitting position and looked down, but was met with the strangest sight he had ever seen.

His legs were sprawled out in front of him like his body's were, but when he looked back, he saw his upper body still lying on the floor, dead. His 'paranormal' upper body was protruding from his body's waist in a sitting position.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the figure said.

Eugene got to his feet and stepped away from his body, disappointed. "So what do I do then?" he asked.

"_That_ is for you to find out." With that, the figure stepped back into the shadows and in a purple flash of light, disappeared.

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_Ooh what'll Eugene do? What about Rapunzel, what happened to her?_

_Reviews= faster update :D_


	3. How I Feel

_Wow, I'm impressed with the feedback I'm getting with this story. So impressed, that I decided to write another chapter before I went to bed. 10 reviews already! 8D_

_To clear up som__e confusion (without giving away some of the story) Eugene CAN physically touch objects, but he cannot feel them. If something tries to injure him, that's when it goes right through him. Just FYI._

_Oh yes, and I do not own Tangled or any of the characters._

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Rapunzel woke with a scream. She was sitting straight up in bed. It took her a minute to remember where she was. In the palace, in her new bedroom, in her massive bed. She was safe, she was home. Her true home.

She tore the sheets and blankets from off of her and placed her feet on the cold, stone floor. She was in a cold sweat. She needed to get up and walk around, clear her head. These nightmares had been tormenting her since she arrived almost a week ago.

She picked up her robe from a nearby chair and wrapped it around herself. She walked towards the balcony at the other end of her room. There was frost on the window. It was probably freezing outside, but she needed some fresh air to help calm herself.

Sure enough, she was met with a very crisp draft as she pulled open the doors to the balcony, but she still stepped out. She leaned on the railing and rested her chin on her fist, taking slow intakes of air.

She felt herself very slowly calm down with each inhale. These nightmares were getting far too terrible for her to handle. Nightmares about her still being held captive by Gothel while Eugene bled to death on the ground. Each one would be worse than the last. She would be forced to rewatch Eugene being stabbed, forced to relive the feeling of him going limp in her arms, forced to leave his lifeless body alone all over again. It was awful.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the cool breeze on her face. She began to remember the moment when she left the tower after Eugene had... after Eugene had... well, after he had left.

After she had woken up the day after the event in the tower, she had to tear herself from his body and had to make herself think rationally. She had left him with a kiss on his cheek. She allowed it to linger for a long while, his cheek was ice cold beneath her lips, but she didn't care. It was the last time she would ever see him and she wanted to make the most of it.

Once she finished the kiss, she went down the secret staircase by the fireplace and left. Left behind the life she had always known. How she had managed to do it, she was not sure. All she knew was that she could not allow herself to think about whom she had left up in the tower, nor whom had fallen from the window of it.

Maximus had been dozing at the base of the tower. Rapunzel cringed at the memory of his face when she told him Eugene was not coming. Despite their rocky past, the horse seemed to have grown to like Eugene at least a little because his expression had been so full of sadness and compassion.

He had kindly taken her back to the palace after she informed him that she was the lost princess. He even vouched for her when she informed the guards of who she was. He really was a good horse. She was then led to the king and queen. She had tried to keep her thoughts away from what she had left behind and focus on what to say that would convince them of her identity.

It seemed, though, that she didn't have to say anything at all, because the queen took one look at her before pulling her into an embrace. It was a wonderful feeling, Rapunzel had to admit, the feeling of a true mother's love, but she could not be fully happy. Not with Eugene gone.

Rapunzel filled her parents in on all she had been through and shocked herself again when she did not cry about Eugene's death. She still had not shed one single tear since it happened and she felt she never would again.

Her memories were suddenly interrupted by a concerned squeak from the railing. She averted her eyes and saw Pascal perched on the rail by her elbow. He was colored blue and was looking at her with big, sorrowful eyes.

"It's alright, Pascal," she told him, "Just a nightmare."

_About him?_ he asked her through his squeaks. Rapunzel knew by 'him' he meant Eugene. She nodded.

_Do your parents know about how you feel?_

"Well, sort of. They know that he rescued me from the tower and that he gave up his life to save me."

_But do they know how you feel about him?_

"I..." Rapunzel wasn't sure. She had never actually said anything about it, but she was sure it was implied. "I don't know."

_Why don't you tell them?_

"Because it hurts to talk about him."

_But maybe it'll help_.

"How would it help?"

Pascal shrugged. _I don't know, but I would talk to them if I were you._ With that, he leapt off the railing and scurried back into her room.

Rapunzel sighed and looked back out over the castle's grounds. She supposed she could talk to her parents. It would show them that she truly did care for them and trust them. Besides, maybe Pascal was right. It could possibly help her feel a little better.

She walked back into her room and shut the doors behind her. The night chill immediately ceased as she did so. When should she talk to them? Tomorrow? No. She would have to talk to them as soon as possible, otherwise she would lose her nerve and probably never do it. Yep, as ridiculous as it seemed, she was going to go find them and tell them.

She looked outside the window. It couldn't have been past midnight so her parents could still be up. In fact, at least one of them probably was. She decided to check the library first.

The library was down a couple levels from her room, but she reached it in good time. To her relief, she found the queen sitting on a chair by the fire, her nose pressed into a book. She was so engrossed in her book that she didn't notice Rapunzel come in.

"Mo-Mother," the word still seemed rather foreign to her as she said. The queen looked up from her book, surprised.

Her face softened when she saw her daughter. "Hello, dear," she greeted her, putting the book aside, but not before she marked her place, "You're up late."

Rapunzel just nodded. The queen watched her, concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you," Rapunzel mumbled.

"Of course," the queen smiled warmly, "What is it?"

Rapunzel was not used to such warmth and compassion. Gothel had always scoffed at whatever problems Rapunzel had and tried to laugh them off with some snide joke that often didn't help at all.

"You remember the man I told you about," Rapunzel began, "The one that found me and then died?"

"Yes, the thief, Flynn Rider," the queen nodded, "What about him?"

"Well I... I don't know how to say this, but..." Rapunzel stumbled over her words. This might have been harder than she thought. The queen waited patiently for her to speak her mind.

"You see, he... I came to think of him more than just my guide..." Rapunzel said as calm and collected as she could, "...and more than just a friend too, and well, you see, I think he might have-actually I KNOW he did because he told me and then he died, so now I don't know what to think-"

She was rambling now. She cut herself off before she ranted on. The queen nodded, understanding shining in her eyes. She motioned for Rapunzel to sit next to her on the sofa. Rapunzel obeyed and plopped down on the cushion beside her mother. The queen hesitantly put an arm around Rapunzel's shoulders, as if she wasn't sure how Rapunzel would react to such a movement. Rapunzel didn't mind though, she liked the feeling that washed over her when the queen's hand came into contact with her shoulders.

"You think you might have loved him?" It was said more as a statement rather than a question.

Rapunzel exhaled, exasperated with herself for not feeling more emotion towards the subject. "I-I think so. He must have loved me because he told me I was his new dream right before he died. What else could that mean? I was sure that I loved him back so I told him he was my new dream too. Then he died. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I really did love him because I haven't even cried over him yet-" She was rambling again.

She buried her face in her hands. Why? Why was this happening to her? "I'm so confused," she confessed through her fingers.

The queen didn't say anything for a moment. Rapunzel was afraid she had overwhelmed her with her rants, but then she finally spoke. "I think you did love him," she said, almost in a whisper, "And I think he loved you too."

Rapunzel peeked through her fingers. "You think?" she asked hopefully.

The queen nodded. "Nothing says love more than giving up your life for whoever you gave your heart to. He did die for you didn't he?"

"Yes," Rapunzel replied. She still was not crying and it was frustrating her. Crying always made her feel better.

The queen fell silent again, pondering the situation. "Would it make you feel any better if we pardoned him of his crimes?" she asked, "I mean, I know it probably doesn't matter since he's well... but it might be good if he had a clear record, don't you think?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Yeah, I would like that... he probably would have liked that too."

The queen gave Rapunzel's shoulders an affectionate squeeze. "I'll talk to your father about it. Now, you go to bed and I'll see you in the morning."

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_I hope this wasn't as tedious to read as it was to write, but I felt this necessary for a number of reasons._

_Reviews are my best friend. They mean a faster update *wink wink*_


	4. Worrying and Ranting

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Eugene stared at his body still sprawled out over the floor. He had not moved from its side since the cloaked figure had left two days earlier. He had not slept for those two days either. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He _was _dead after all, so it was no longer a necessity.

So he had been staring at his body for two days straight, trying to figure out how the heck he could get back into it. _This is ridiculous! What good is staring at it going to do?_ He began to pace around. It was eerie not to hear his footsteps echoing as he did so, but that was hardly important at the moment.

What could he do? He couldn't stay in the tower forever. He was wasting valuable time there. His body would begin to decay soon. He remembered what the cloaked figure had told him _'As long as you remain here on this earth, your body will take much longer to decay, but that doesn't mean it won't. You will be able to tell how much your body has decayed just by looking at yourself no matter where you are.' _Was there even a way to get back in his body or was it just false hope? Was it punishment for his life of thievery, to roam to Earth as a rotting... spirit?

Whatever the answer was, he would have to leave the tower to find out. Where should he go? Back to Rapunzel? No. What good would that do? It would only make him depressed. She probably couldn't see him, so he wouldn't be able to make any contact with her either physical or verbal. He couldn't feel anything. He didn't exist.

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Rapunzel wearily made her way to the breakfast room. Her eyes were red and puffy from lack of sleep and she was sure there were dark shadows beneath them. Even after talking to the queen two nights ago, her sleeping patterns had not improved in the slightest.

She finally entered the large double doors leading to the breakfast room. Her parents were already seated at the table that was covered in all assortments of breakfast foods. They both looked at her as she entered. Their faces simultaneously dropped when they saw the state she was in, but they quickly recovered and faked nonchalance.

"Good morning, dear," the queen greeted her as cheerily as possible.

Rapunzel forced a small smile as she took her place at the table. She quietly served herself as her parents resumed their eating. She took only one bite before beginning to poke at it with her fork.

"Is everything OK?" the queen asked, forcing back the concern flooding her tone.

"I'm fine," Rapunzel hastily replied, placing her fork beside her plate, "I'm just not very hungry this morning, that's all."

She put her napkin on the table. "May I be excused? I thought maybe I would go for a walk before I went to etiquette lessons today."

"Yes of course. By all means."

Rapunzel stood and walked out of the room. She could hear the queen's voice whispering from behind, "I'm getting worried about her. She hasn't had so much as a bite of anything since she came back."

"Did you see her eyes?" the king added in the same hushed voice, "I don't think it just food she's been deprived of..."

Rapunzel didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she rounded a corner, heading for the stables. She hated worrying them, but she couldn't help herself. She paused, staring at the door to the stables. She could have sworn she saw... _nothing_. She hurried into the stables and found Maximus enjoying his morning oats. He looked up when she entered, his mouth full.

She approached him and put her hand on his muzzle. He looked at her with questioning eyes. His face seemed to ask: _Are you OK? You look terrible._ Rapunzel didn't answer and took to stroking his neck.

Maximus nudged her with his nose._ You're not, I can tell._

Rapunzel heaved a sigh. "I know you didn't like Eugene very much-"

Snort, shrug. _Meh, he wasn't so bad_.

"Well anyways, I did. He's always on my mind," Rapunzel continued, "I keep thinking that... somehow he could come back. That I could see him again."

Nudge. _And...?_

"But I know that's not possible. I saw him die with my own eyes. I left him in that miserable tower with all my other memories."

Maximus rested his head on her shoulder and she wrapped her arms around his thick, white neck, tangling her fingers in his mane. "I'm worrying my parents," Rapunzel went on, "You'd think that after 18 years of worrying, my return would finally bring them relief. Well it hasn't. I'm just making it worse."

She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth radiating from the horse's neck. "It probably would have been better if I had just not come back at all," she whispered.

Maximus pulled away from her and gave her a disapproving look. "What?" Rapunzel asked, "I could have found somewhere to go."

Maximus rolled his eyes and snorted. _Yeah right._

Rapunzel threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh! You're right! I know!" she practically wailed, beginning to pace in frustrated circles, "I just hate being a problem and I feel like that's exactly what I am. I'm sloppy, clumsy, ill-mannered and all I do is brood and mope! What must my parents think of me? Can they blame me? I just lost someone I really cared about and he's never coming back. I can't sleep! I can't eat! I'm completely hopeless!"

Maximus interrupted her rant by pressing his nose into her cheek. She immediately quieted, breathing heavily. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his fur. "I wish I could cry," she said, "I sometimes think about going back to my tower. I just want to see him again."

Her horse companion gently snuggled with her as she forced herself to calm down. "I'm sorry, Max," she finally said after a moment, "I won't ever go back there. I'm just frustrated. I'll... I'll get over it."

She took a deep breath and sat on the stall door. "It doesn't help that sometimes it seems like..." she trailed off.

Maximus scooted closer to her, ears perked. _Seems like what?_

"It seems like... he's here. With me. I know it sounds crazy, but I could have sworn I saw him just outside the stables, watching me, but when I did a double-take there was nothing there," Rapunzel sighed, "I think I'm going crazy. I'm starting to hallucinate. He's gone and he's never coming back."

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_Oh poor Rapunzel *hugs*. I know how it feels to be so frustrated that you don't know what to do, but rant. (I've got this stupid English teacher who... made serious [false] accusations against me. I'm still fuming and it helped me write this chapter. See? I'm ranting.) Anyways, I hate writing sad stuff, but this is how the story goes._

_The plot will start to thicken after this. What's gonna happen? Ooh the suspense! _:O


	5. Soul Keeper

_Oh reviewers, how I love you. I shall count the ways... nevermind there's too many. Seriously though, you guys have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. My writing skills have been put to doubt and reading your reviews just make my day brighter than the sun! :D_

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Eugene remained behind the door of the stables. He could have sworn he saw a glint of recognition in Rapunzel's eyes when she had looked in his direction, but then she blinked and looked away as if she didn't see anything. He knew she couldn't see him. Now he was listening to her wailing at Max inside the stable. It hurt him to hear her so upset... and it was all his fault.

"I sometimes think about going back to my tower," he heard Rapunzel's voice finally drift from the stall, "I just want to see him again."

That was it. He couldn't take it anymore! He left his place at the door and headed for the castle gardens. He thought seeing her again would help give him ideas of how to reunite himself with his body, but so far it had brought him nothing but sheer agony.

He had given in to the temptation to see Rapunzel again. He had hoped that just seeing her again would help him think of a way to get back in his body. Much to his disappointment and annoyance, he was still drawing a blank. It had almost been a week since he died and two days since he was brought back and he was not any further along than when he started.

Ugh, why did this have to happen to him? Why did that crazy old hag have to stab and kill him? He could have still been alive, at Rapunzel's side. She would be happy, he would be happy, everyone's lives would be so much better. What ever happened to happily ever after? Seemed his story didn't have one.

The arrangement wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't hurting Rapunzel too. Why did that old hag have to stab and kill him? It had not been his intention to leave Rapunzel in such a state when he cut her hair. Curses!

He swung his leg to kick a low stone wall, but his foot sank right into it. He pulled his foot from the wall and gingerly sat down on it. He didn't sink into it. Maybe he only went through objects if his actions with it would have normally brought physical harm to him.

He watched the stables in the distance from his perch on the wall. Rapunzel didn't exit for several minutes, but she eventually did. She strolled back towards the castle, her head drooping. Eugene leaned over on his knees and allowed his eyes to follow her.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered her, even with her cropped brown hair... his handiwork. Sure her eyes were a little hollowed and her face was worn with anxiety, but she was still stunning. Eugene couldn't take his eyes off her.

He wanted to stay and just watch her all day. And why not? It was just one day, he had already wasted two. What was one more day? Maybe watching her longer would give him extra motivation to find a solution to his predicament. Yep, one day and then he'd be off.

He hopped off the wall and began making his way towards the castle. He was still adjusting to not hearing his footsteps as he walked. He approached a gate leading to the main courtyard, where he had seen Rapunzel disappear. There were two guards standing in front of it, but Eugene easily walked right past them. They had no idea he was there. It was definite, no one could see him.

Still no footsteps as he walked into the courtyard. He focused himself on finding Rapunzel. He figured she was probably going to be attending some sort of "princess" lesson. He didn't know where she would be so he decided that he would just wander through the castle until he found her.

The plan seemed decent enough until he heard a voice shouting behind him, "Hey! Hey you!"

Eugene continued walking, ignoring the shouting. _Probably some servant slacking off and getting in trouble for it. _However, the voice continued. "You! Stop!"

Eugene finally turned around to see who was shouting and saw a young, dark haired guard running towards him. Eugene looked around, confused. Who was he yelling at?

The soldier stopped beside him. "You," he panted, "Are you deaf? I said stop!"

Now Eugene was really perplexed. "Wait... you can see me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course I can see you, ya looney!" the guard scoffed.

How was that possible? He had just walked right past those guards by the gate and they had not even acknowledged his existence in any way, muchless had a conversation with one. Eugene was beyond confused.

"Who are you and what are you doing?" the guard asked.

Still taken aback, Eugene forced himself to answer. "I'm uh, Fitzherbert. Eugene Fitzherbert." He doubted anyone would recognize his real name. Everyone had known him as Flynn Rider. "I'm... new here," he finished.

The young man eyed him suspiciously. "How did you get past the guards at the gate?"

_I'm actually some sort of a ghost or something that is trying to find a way to get back inside my slowly decaying body, so they probably couldn't see me. _Yeah, that would totally fly with this guy. Not. Eugene was spared having to come up with an answer when the guard simply continued with, "You have to go back and check in."

"Check in?" Eugene wondered.

"Of course! Ever since the princess has returned, the servants and soldiers all have to check in so as not to risk any more kidnappings or something."

"Oh. I didn't know. Sorry. I'll... go do that then." Eugene was still baffled by the fact that the guard could see him.

"Be sure that you do. Get on your way then!"

"Yes sir!" Eugene gave a salute that was heavy with sarcasm, but the guard didn't pick up on it. With an arrogant sniff, the guard turned and marched off.

Desperately confused, Eugene headed back towards the gate. The guards there didn't even notice him approach. He waved a hand in front of their faces, but they remained unfazed. _What the heck?_

He left the guards and headed back to the garden. "What's going on here?" he cried out to nothing in particular, "I need some answers!"

"For what?"

Eugene whipped around and saw the cloaked figure with the purple ball of light in its hand. Eugene pointed at him. "You!" he said in an accusatory tone, "What's going on? How come that guard could see me?"

"Which do you mean?" the figure asked.

"The young one with black hair, blue eyes-"

"Levi?"

"Sure, whatever his name is! Why could he see me and nobody else?"

"That is a question that requires a very complex answer," the cloaked figure stated.

"I'm listening," Eugene said, crossing his arms.

The cloaked figure glided closer to him, but didn't say anything. After a long moment of silence, Eugene raised his eyebrows, "Well?"

"I'll start from the beginning," the figure finally said, "I am your soul keeper. I watch after your soul before, during, and after your life on Earth."

"What does that have to do with-?"

"But I do not watch over_ just_ you. There are millions of souls and millions of Soul Keepers. Each Soul Keeper is in charge of a certain number of spirits. Each group is called a Spirit Clan. My Spirit Clan consists of several million souls, including you and Levi."

Never before had Eugene heard such mind-boggling information. "And?" he pressed.

"Since you and Levi come from the same Spirit Clan, your souls are 'connected' to some extent. During your earth life, your soul will often seek out other souls from your Spirit Clan. Special friendships are formed before you are born and sometimes if it involves a male and female, soul mates come into play."

"I don't believe in soul mates," Eugene said.

"Think what you will. Not every spirit has a mate. Anyways, because of this connection between your souls, Levi was able to see you when others could not... just like any other member of your Spirit Clan can."

"How do I know who is from my Spirit Clan?"

"You don't."

"Is Rapunzel?"

His Soul Keeper began to back away. "Do not do anything too rash," it warned, "I gave you a second chance so that you could find a way to redeem yourself. Not necessarily to get back in your body."

The purple orb began to glow brighter. "Wait!" Eugene called, "Is Rapunzel part of my Spirit Clan?"

There was no answer for a moment. Eugene waited with great anticipation.

"She is." With a flash of purple light, the Soul Keeper was gone.

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_Oh wow. I'm surprising myself with how deep this story is getting. I'm rather pleased with my made-up Spirit World. It's amazing what you can come up with while daydreaming in math class._

_Yes, the guard was named for Zachary Levi ;)_

_You guys have to tell me how much you want the next chapter, otherwise... it might take a while *hums in a taunting way* XP_


	6. The Etiquette Book

_Just to be clear (for all you religious people out there), it's a bit strange for me to be writing about this whole soul mate, soul keeper, and stuff because I totally don't believe it. I'm a big time firm believer in God, Heaven, and all that jazz. I just didn't want to be a preacher over fanfiction, so I made up the whole concept of the Soul Keepers and their Spirit Clans (also, it makes it easier for me to twist the story in all different directions because I'm making it up entirely). Just FYI :)_

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"Once filled, holding a handled teacup correctly insures grace while avoiding spilling hot tea. One's fingers are placed to the front and back of the handle with the pinkie finger tilted slightly up for balance. It is rude to loop fingers through the handle or to hold the body of the cup with the palm of the hand." Rapunzel's etiquette tutor displayed her explanation of how to properly hold a tea cup.

Rapunzel pretended to be deeply interested in the lecture, but her thoughts were elsewhere as the tutor droned on. She hated lessons on tea. Her mind kept wandering back to her 'conversation' with Maximus earlier that day, just before she came for her etiquette lessons. Now she was still sitting in some room utilized for teaching with the etiquette tutor and it was almost dinner time.

"...It is considered rude to stir one's tea in wide circular motions. Proper etiquette requires the teaspoon to be held at the six o'clock position to begin. Then, any added liquid is folded lightly towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times."

Rapunzel wondered why she felt like she was being watched. The feeling had just suddenly come over her a short time ago. She could have sworn there was someone else in the room, but every time she looked around, she saw no one except for the round, purple-faced etiquette tutor. Why was her face purple? Rapunzel had never seen a purple face before and it still puzzled her as much as it did when she first met the tutor.

"The teaspoon should never be left in the teacup. When not in use, the small teaspoon is placed on the right side of the tea saucer."

There was that feeling again. Someone was watching her. She glanced over her shoulder, but saw nothing.

"Now that we are finished with your tea lessons, let us move on to posture improvement," the tutor said.

It was then that Rapunzel noticed that she was slumping in her chair, just as she had been instructed so many times not to do at any time. It was 'bad for her back' and would probably 'cripple her in the near future.' She couldn't help slouching though, and her miserable attitude only made it worse. Even the slightest thought of Eugene made her hunch over and hang her head.

"Stand up, please," the tutor ordered as she picked up some books from a nearby table.

Rapunzel begrudgingly got to her feet and straightened her back. She hated posture lessons even more than she hated tea lessons. She was already in pain emotionally, why add on some physical pain?

The tutor placed the stack of books on Rapunzel's head and pointed forward. "Now walk to that wall and back again without even _moving_ the books."

Rapunzel gingerly took a step forward, doing her best to keep the books on her head. She remained frozen for a second until she was sure that none would fall, then she took another step. Unlike her other etiquette lessons, she could not daydream or brood during this one. This one required full concentration. She continued taking slow steps, moving closer and closer to the wall her tutor had pointed at.

She was just a few steps from the wall when she got that feeling again, of being watched. She did not move her head, but she allowed her eyes to turn to the side and look at a bookshelf. She saw something... or someone. She allowed her head to turn ever so slightly and she she saw... _oh my!_

Her legs suddenly turned to jelly and she toppled over, sending the books flying in all directions. She opened her eyes and saw her etiquette tutor standing over her, her purple face scrunched into a disapproving frown. "That was possibly the worst balancing I have ever seen," she scolded, "For that faux pas, I will make you do this over and over until you..."

Rapunzel didn't hear the rest of her tutor's reprimand. She looked back over by the bookshelf. There was no one there. Was she going crazy? Did she really see-? No. It wasn't possible.

But she could have sworn she saw Eugene standing beside the bookshelf.

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Eugene remained huddled behind the bookshelf. He had not planned on Rapunzel spotting him when he moved from his old hiding spot behind the tea table. She obviously had seen him which is why she had stumbled over her own feet and fallen flat on her back. Eugene had ducked behind the bookshelf before she had even hit the ground and there he remained.

He had just found her a short while ago. After searching the entire castle, he finally found the room that Rapunzel occupied. He had remained hidden in the room, stealing peeks when he could, but had stayed still for the most part. That is until he decided to change hiding spots and Rapunzel saw him.

Suddenly he remembered why he had been seeking out Rapunzel in the first place. He had gotten so distracted with watching her that he had almost forgotten. He decided to risk a peek over the bookshelf. He carefully peered over the shelf and saw that Rapunzel had her back to him, trying to balance the books on her head.

He searched the room and spotted Rapunzel's etiquette book sitting on the tea table she had just been sitting at. Perfect.

Rapunzel was being scolded by the tutor again and still had her back to him and the table. Taking advantage of the moment, Eugene rushed over to the book and opened the cover. He picked up Rapunzel's quill and quickly scribbled on the inside. He glanced over his shoulder, Rapunzel still was not facing him. He closed the book and ducked back behind the bookcase just before Rapunzel resumed her balancing act.

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Eugene paced around under the bright moonlight in the garden. Maybe she hadn't understood the message. No, he had been clear: "Come to the garden after midnight and wait for me. Urgent. From, a friend." Maybe she was too scared to come out and meet a stranger. Or maybe she didn't even get the message.

His worries were put to rest as he heard approaching footsteps. He was almost surprised that she would have done what his note had instructed. Why had he thought that would work in the first place? Stupid! But he reminded himself that it hardly mattered at the moment, because she was coming to the garden just like he wanted.

Rapunzel came into view at the garden gate. She wore a periwinkle night gown and was wrapped tightly in a matching robe. Her feet were bare... like they usually were and her chestnut hair whisked around her face in the light breeze. Her eyes darted around anxiously as if asking _what am I doing here?_

She moved further into the garden, arms folded over her chest. She was softly humming to herself as she nervously shuffled her feet beneath her. Eugene recognized the tune. It was the same one she had sang when she had healed his hand.

Eugene shook his head, pushing the memories of happier times away. Rapunzel plopped down on one of the garden walls with a sigh. "Why am I out here? Who would want to see me at such a time?" she asked herself in reprimanding mumble.

It was now or never. Eugene stepped into her line of vision and she froze, her green eyes locked on him. "I would," he said quietly.

Rapunzel began to teeter slightly. Eugene rushed forward with his arms outstretched, ready to catch her, but she didn't fall over. She shook her head and looked at him again. "Eugene?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

Eugene nodded. Rapunzel put a hand to her cheek in shock. "I... I thought you were dead."

"Well actually..." He didn't finished because Rapunzel suddenly jumped off the wall and threw her arms around him. Eugene was met with the disappointment of not being able to feel her embrace.

She pulled away from him, her eyes full of hurt and confusion. "What just happened?"

"Rapunzel, I can explain-"

"I just touched you! I know I did!"

"I know, but-"

"Then how come I couldn't feel it? What's going on?"

"I'm not real, Rapunzel!" Eugene practically shouted, "I was brought back, but I couldn't be reunited with my body. I'm just a Paranormal."

Rapunzel was staring at him like he had just grown two heads. "A what?"

Eugene sighed and proceeded to fill her in on everything he had learned and been through. She listened intently, her mouth hanging open slightly. Once he finished his explanation, Rapunzel leaned forward.

"So how are you going to get back in your body?" she asked.

Eugene stared at the ground. "That's the problem. The Soul Keeper said that I was given a second chance to redeem myself, not necessarily to get back in my body. I'm beginning to think that I won't get back into it because I don't have the slightest idea of how to even begin to look for a solution."

Rapunzel reached out a hand and brushed some hair from his face. He couldn't feel her fingers against his forehead and he wished he could. He longed to just feel her touch again. Still his biggest regret was not being able to kiss her before he died.

"Don't give up," Rapunzel said tenderly, "You still have time."

Eugene sighed. "I don't know, Rapunzel. I think I might... just want to be here with you until I run out of time."

Rapunzel took a breath and nodded. "Whatever you choose."

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_Kind of lame and sloppy writing for a rather important scene. Oh well. Tell me what you think! Reviews are love! :D_


	7. Riding Lesson

_This is just a filler chapter while I try to figure out how exactly I want to go about getting to the ending I have in mind. The plot is about to take a big turn and I don't want to mess it up. So enjoy this for now._

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The queen contentedly closed her book and set it to the side. She leaned back against the back of her chair and stretched her legs out in front of her. Sometimes she just could not stand to always sit in a perfectly poised position and liked to just relax.

It had been a while since she could relax, but since Rapunzel's sudden change in attitude, her nerves had been put at ease. It had come as a surprise to her when Rapunzel came to breakfast that morning with a smile on her face. It was a sincerely happy smile, the first that the queen had really seen on her daughter's face. The queen couldn't help but wonder what had caused Rapunzel's change of mood. The queen was happy of course, but still, she wondered.

She heard her husband grumble from behind her. He was seated behind a large wooden desk that was completely engulfed in all sorts of papers. "What is it?" the queen asked.

"Another debt deadline," he replied in a growling voice, "I don't remember owing THIS much money!"

"I'm sure it's from when we built up the lower part of the city," the queen reassured him.

"That was almost ten years ago! Why are all these claims coming now?"

The queen shook her head. He always got so worked up when it came to money and trade agreements. She got up and and rested a hand on his broad shoulder. "I'm sure it will be fine. We've had debts before and we've always managed to pay them off before the deadline."

"I hope you're right," her husband muttered, keeping his eyes on the paper in front of him.

They were interrupted by a knock coming from the doorway. The royal couple looked up and saw their daughter standing in the doorway, her fist resting against the doorframe. The queen immediately smiled at her. "Hello, dear," she greeted the princess as pleasantly as possible.

"Hello." Rapunzel's voice held a blissful tone that made the queen feel even happier than before.

"Is there something you need?" the king asked, observing Rapunzel's face as she moved closer. She clearly had something to say.

"I was just wondering if I could go riding before dinner," Rapunzel said.

Her parents had no idea she knew how to ride a horse, being locked up in a tower for eighteen years and not taking any lessons (at least since she had come to castle. Maybe she had learned elsewhere). The queen exchanged a quick glance with her husband before responding, "Of course you may."

"Oh thank you!" Rapunzel quickly threw her arms around the two of them.

"Did you want us to get someone to help you?" the king inquired.

Rapunzel, who had already been making her way to the door turned around. "No, it's OK. I already have someone to help me."

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Rapunzel practically skipped down to the stables. The thought of being with Eugene, whether he was alive or not, was an exhilarating thought. After a week of believing him to be lost from her forever, having him back was a wonderful change. Before she knew it, she was at the stables.

Maximus was there and already hitched up with all the proper equipment, but Eugene was no where in sight. Rapunzel walked over to Maximus and scratched under his chin, his favorite spot. He whinnied in delight. "Hello to you too," she said, "Have you seen Eugene recently?"

Apparently animals could see Paranormals because both Maximus and Pascal had acknowledged his presence. The horse shook his head and Rapunzel sighed. "He said he'd meet me here. Where is he?"

"Right here." Rapunzel turned around and saw Eugene step out from behind one of the stalls.

Rapunzel pushed back the urge to rush over and somehow embrace him because she knew that it would do no good to remind them of their unfortunate situation. He spoke first, "So... you ready?"

Rapunzel nodded. "What do I do first?"

Eugene looked her up and down with a quick flit of his eyes. "Well... since you're wearing a dress, it might make it slightly difficult for you to ride in the normal way."

"So what do I do?"

"First, put both your hands on the saddle like so," Eugene modeled his description, "Then you put your foot in this thing here, the stirrup. Then you push off the ground and sit yourself down in the saddle like so."

He hopped onto the saddle, both his legs hanging over Max's side. He jumped off again and waved his hand with a flourish, earning a smile from Rapunzel. "Your turn," he stated.

Rapunzel mirrored exactly what she had seen Eugene do and within a few seconds, was sitting on the saddle. Eugene nodded and cocked an eyebrow, "Impressive, princess. Now would you like to steer the horse-"

Maximus snorted, displeased. "Fine. Would you like to steer _Max_..." he shot a smirk at the steed who just turned his head up in a pompous way, "...or would you rather have me lead him?"

Maximus snorted again. Rapunzel understood what he was trying to say, but Eugene just looked confused. "He thinks you should let him lead," she interpreted for Eugene.

Eugene rolled his eyes. "OK, fine," he said to Maximus, "But if she falls off, I'm coming after you with a club."

"Eugene!" Rapunzel cried, appalled at his threat. But Maximus just laughed, as much as a horse could, and began a slow trot. Eugene followed close behind. Rapunzel threw continual glances at him as they moved along.

She couldn't help, but wonder what it would have been like if he had not died in the first place. If he had somehow managed to rescue her from Gothel and they both returned to the castle and lived out their lives happily. What would it have been like? Rapunzel allowed herself to daydream about what would have happened and what they would have experienced. Each thought made her heart seem to soar.

She suddenly began to teeter slightly, but she caught herself. Eugene had instinctively reached up and brushed his hand against her back. Only she could not feel it.

Her jovial daydreams suddenly came crashing down as the realization hit. She would never be able to touch Eugene again. None of her hopes and dreams would ever come true. Eugene had no idea how to get back in his body and in only a matter of time, his body would no longer be preserved and it, along with his Paranormal self, would begin to decay. Rapunzel's chest began to hurt and she hung her head slightly.

Eugene noticed her change of mood. "You OK?" he asked.

"I just feel a little... dizzy," she fibbed, "Maybe we should go back."

He looked at her for a moment. "If you want to, sure."

Maximus didn't need any instruction from either of them. He promptly turned around and headed back for the stables on his own.

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Eugene crept up closer to Rapunzel's bedroom. It hadn't taken him long to find it. He could hear her humming inside. The tune was the healing song she used to sing to make her hair glow. Eugene had noticed she tended to hum that song in particular when something had her really upset or distressed. Why was she upset? She had just randomly wanted to go back to the castle with the claim of feeling dizzy. Eugene hadn't bought it for a second, but he had decided it would be best to do as she wished.

The door was cracked open slightly. Eugene gently pushed on it. He was again reminded that he was unable to feel anything when he was not greeted with the feeling of solidity against his palm. The door still opened though. He saw Rapunzel sitting on a large bed in the center of the room, her back to him. For a moment, Eugene wondered if it would be considered scandalous that he was in her bedroom. Then he remembered that he didn't actually exist, so it didn't really matter.

"Rapunzel?" his voice creaked.

Rapunzel immediately ceased her humming and turned around. When she saw him, she gave a smile, though Eugene could tell that it was forced. He didn't waste any time with greetings or anything, he just moved to her side and got right to the point. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," Rapunzel replied, "I'm fine."

Her eyes refused to meet his and he was not buying her casual brush off. "Really? Because I'm still wondering why you decided to cut your little riding lesson short when you had been so excited about it this morning."

Rapunzel sighed. "I just..." her voice trailed off as it cracked with emotion. She took several deep breaths before continuing. "I was just thinking about what could have happened if you didn't... if you didn't die."

Eugene was not entirely surprised by this response, he had thought of it many times himself, but he was still a little thrown. He wasn't sure what to say. He noticed that Rapunzel was staring at her hands, her eyes glistening with tears ready to fall.

"Hey, hey," he said softly, "It's alright. I may not be alive entirely, but I'm here now, aren't I?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "That's just it. I keep thinking about our time before you died, when we were in the kingdom for the lantern festival. I keep thinking about how much I enjoyed your touch. I thought I would never experience a better sensation, but now... now..."

Her voice trailed off again. Eugene did not know how to respond to this. He would have put his arm around her, but that would not have done any good. It would have probably made it worse.

"Well I'm... here," he said lamely, "That's all I really have to comfort you with at the moment."

Rapunzel looked at him. "I know. And I'm glad I got to see you again."

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_I wasn't sure how to end it, so this is what came out. Sorry if you think its lame. Next chapter coming soon! _

_Reviews and my inbox are like ice cream and hot fudge. They come together to make happiness and joy! _


	8. Indebted and Conflicted

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"Do you know what this is about?"

"No. He just said he wanted to see both of us in his study right away. That's all I know."

Rapunzel hurried after her mother, holding her skirts up off the floor so that she didn't trip. The king had sent a servant to fetch them, asking to see them immediately. Rapunzel was more than happy to leave her nighttime etiquette lesson and quickly obliged. She met up with her mother after rushing down a few hallways. He had never had to call both of them so urgently before. Rapunzel wondered what it was all about.

They finally reached the door to the study and the queen pushed it open. The king was not seated behind his desk like Rapunzel had expected him to be. Instead, he was looking out the window, hands firmly clasped behind his back and his shoulders tense. He didn't seem to notice their arrival.

The queen opened her mouth to say something, but the king pointed to the desk before any sound was made. "Read it," he said without looking at them.

Rapunzel watched as her mother slowly moved over to the desk and picked up a scroll of paper with a broken seal. Rapunzel watched her face begin to drop as her eyes bounced back and forth across the paper, reading the contents. She looked up with a half horrified expression on her face.

"When you said we owed a lot of money, I didn't realize it was _this_ much," she said in a hushed tone, allowing the hand holding the paper to fall to her side.

The king turned around, his face contorted with angst as he shook his head, staring at the ground. "I keep getting more and more of these claims. Even if we tripled the taxes we would not even be close to having enough."

"But.. but..." the queen could not think of anything useful to say.

"Is there _something_ we can do?" Rapunzel piped up.

Her parents exchanged concerned glances and didn't say anything. Something had passed between them in that glance. Something important and Rapunzel wondered why they weren't telling her.

"Mother?" Rapunzel asked after several moments of tense silence.

The queen shook her head. "No. We couldn't do that," she said to her husband.

"Do what?" Rapunzel wondered.

"She's already had enough worry and stress on her shoulders," the queen continued, not seeming to have heard Rapunzel's question.

"I know. But what other choice do we have?" the king asked.

"I refuse to put her through something like that. Especially after her loss."

"But what can we-?"

"She needs more time!"

"We don't HAVE time! We will be taken over by all these kingdoms of whom we are indebted within a week if we do not pay this off!"

The two royals seemed to have forgotten that Rapunzel was in the room. She was in shock that they were arguing. She had never heard either of them even come close to raising their voices before. Now they were almost screaming at each other and Rapunzel was pretty sure it was about her.

"Can you imagine being forced into something like this after all she's been through?" the queen demanded, disgust and outrage clear in her voice.

"I know! You think I really_ want_ to do this to her? She's my daughter too, you know!"

"Then tell her! Tell her what you want her to do and see if she agrees!"

Rapunzel swallowed hard. "What do you need me to do?" she asked timidly.

The queen took a deep breath, regaining control over her temper, and raised her eyebrows at the king. "Go ahead. Tell her."

Rapunzel cautiously turned her eyes on her father, unsure of how dreadful this information she was about to hear would be. The king cleared his throat and fiddled with a pendant around his neck.

"In order to attain enough money to pay off these debts, we would have to unite with another kingdom and share the wealth of both kingdoms," he explained, his tone much softer than it had been a few seconds ago.

"What's so bad about that?" Rapunzel asked, puzzled.

"Dear, there are only two ways that kingdoms can be joined," the queen explained, "Either one takes over the other and the first ceases to exist, or they are bound together through a marriage."

Rapunzel wasn't sure if she understood what the big deal was. She looked at them with an expectant face, waiting for them to expound. When neither of them said anything, Rapunzel pressed, "A marriage?"

"Yes," the king nodded, "Between the two heirs to both kingdoms."

That's when it hit like a sack of bricks, and Rapunzel realized what they were talking about. She was supposed to get married to someone from another kingdom. A prince no less. Rapunzel stood frozen for a moment as the meaning of this revelation sunk in.

"I told you she would not agree!" the queen stated, "Now she feels pressured into something she doesn't want to do!"

"She hasn't said anything yet!" the king snapped back.

"She just lost her first love and you are trying to push her into a marriage to a complete stranger!" the queen cried, "We'll figure something else out. I won't allow-"

"I'll think about it!" Rapunzel interrupted the heated discussion, suddenly breaking from her trance.

Both her parents looked rather shocked at her response and they stared blankly at her. "What?" the queen asked quietly.

"I said I'll think about it," Rapunzel repeated in a flat tone, "I just need to speak with someone first and then I'll let you know as soon as possible."

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As soon as Rapunzel was outside the castle walls, she broke into a run. The cool night air blew her hair back out of her face as she did so. She felt so conflicted. She most definitely did not want the kingdom to fall when she could do something about it, but she also did not want to marry a complete stranger, especially when there was still hope of Eugene getting back into his body. She had to go talk to him, get his opinion. She had to hear him say that it was possible for him to reunite with his body. She would do everything in her power to find some other way to save the kingdom.

She was not entirely sure where exactly she was running. Eugene had told her that he would be out for a stroll that night while she was in etiquette lesson. She ran down the empty streets towards the water. She ignored the stares coming from the few people that were still out and continued running.

Her eyes scanned each street as she passed them, searching for Eugene. He was no where to be found. She finally reached the water's edge and bent over, breathing in deep puffs. Once she was able to breathe again, she looked up. To her relief, she saw him.

Eugene was standing at the water's edge, his hand hovering over the surface. She crept closer to him and saw that he was rhythmically immersing his hand in the water. Each time he pulled it out, he rubbed his fingers together and sighed in dejection. Rapunzel realized that he could not feel the water and instantly felt pity for him.

"Eugene?" she said.

He instantly pulled his hand away from the water and straightened up, his eyes wide with surprise. When he saw who had addressed him, he relaxed. "I'm so used to no one seeing me," he said.

Rapunzel felt her pity begin to turn to sadness. "Eugene... I have something to tell you."

Eugene looked at her, concern flooding over his face. "What's wrong?"

Rapunzel looked out over the water. She watched the full moon reflecting int the water. She remembered how beautiful the lake had looked during the lantern festival. The warm pink and orange glow surrounding her and Eugene in the boat, the soft lights reflecting off the glassy water. She recalled how Eugene had looked at her then, how he held her hand...

Her heart instantly was wrenched at the thought of touching him. She longed to just feel his touch ever since he came back. She wanted him to get back inside his body so that she could enjoy a physical relationship with him as well as an emotional one.

"Rapunzel?" Eugene's voice broke her thoughts, "What's wrong?"

"Eugene I... the kingdom is in trouble."

Eugene tilted his head and looked at her quizzically. "What happened?"

Rapunzel recounted everything her parents had told her. Eugene just held a blank stare through the entire explanation. "And so I just wanted to know that you're trying to find a way to get back into your body. I want to be with you. With the motivation of knowing you're close to getting back in your body, I'll think of a different way to solve this problem with kingdom. I just need to hear you say it will be alright."

Eugene didn't say anything, he just held his unreadable expression. "Eugene?" Rapunzel asked after a moment.

"Rapunzel..." Eugene said quietly, "I'm not sure if I will ever get back in my body."

Rapunzel felt her legs turn to jelly and she began to teeter. She sat down on the ground to prevent herself from falling. How could he say such a thing?

"Rapunzel, I've told you before, I don't have the slightest idea of where to even begin to look for a solution to my problem," Eugene said, his tone forlorn, "I can't give you hope of a future with me."

Each word he spoke just paralyzed Rapunzel even more. Her heart ached almost as much as it had when he died.

Eugene crouched down beside her. "I'm going to leave."

Rapunzel's eyes shot up to his face. That was the last bit of heartbreak she could handle. "You can't leave!" she cried.

"I have to," Eugene said, "I don't want to affect your decision on what's best for your kingdom."

"But Eugene-!"

"I'm just in the way."

"No you're not! Eugene, I love you!" Rapunzel had no idea where the last sentence came from. Then it slowly dawned on her that she had spoken the truth. She did love him. She _loved_ him!

Eugene's face was twisted with pain. He rubbed a hand against his cheek and squeezed his eyes shut. "I love you too," he whispered in a cracking voice, "But I can't give you false hope and I can't let you stray from the wise path to saving the kingdom. There's not a chance that I'll be able to get back into my body before it withers away."

"Then you don't have to go back to your body. We can still-"

"Rapunzel, really. How would you manage a relationship with something that doesn't really exist?"

Rapunzel felt her eyes sting from approaching tears. She still had not actually cried since he died, but even though they were there, they still didn't fall.

"Eugene," she choked a whisper.

"Goodbye, Rapunzel." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, but Rapunzel could not feel it. _She could not feel it!_

It was because of that supposed-to-be kiss that Rapunzel realized that he was right, a relationship with a Paranormal would never work. He pulled away from her and stood up. Rapunzel watched him longingly as he slowly turned away and disappeared into the darkness.

He was gone. She lost him again. And for the first time since he died, she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

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_Oh! Eugene how could you do that? *cries* D'X_

_Aren't I mean to leave it like that? I enjoy tormenting my readers with drama. What will happen next, I wonder. Reviews help me update faster :D_


	9. Visiting Royalty

_It's rather entertaining to hear your theories on how this will end, but of course, I'm the only one that actually KNOWS the ending. So you'll all just have to keep reading to see if you are correct :)_

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" the queen asked.

"Yes, Mother," Rapunzel sounded more confident than she felt. She tugged on her sleeves a little, adjusting them so that they remained as unwrinkled as possible.

A carriage was suddenly heard approaching. Rapunzel could not see it yet and she was sure that her parents couldn't either. Rapunzel stood straight with her head held high, just like her etiquette tutor always insisted upon. She wanted to fiddle with her hair like she always did when she was nervous, but the etiquette tutor had said that nervous habits were the worst impression one could make, especially on visiting royalty.

Rapunzel needed something to say or do. "Mother?" she said, turning slightly so that she was facing the queen, "You said that the king was widowed right?"

"Yes, but it's not him you're marrying, dear."

"I know, I was just wondering. Which kingdom are they from again?"

"Faldonia."

A large, very decorative carriage suddenly appeared at the bottom of the hill and began making its way up the winding road towards the castle. Rapunzel could see why her parents chose this kingdom to unite with just based off of the carriage. It was far fancier than anything Corona had to offer. Faldonia must have been a very wealthy kingdom indeed.

The carriage moved at an astounding speed for something so large and within moments, it was beside the royal family of Corona. Rapunzel forced herself to look happy as the carriage door was opened.

A tall, broad shouldered man with gray hair and beard stepped out first. He wore a large crown, adjourned with all sorts of enormous jewels, rubies, diamonds, and such. The second to step out was another older man, but significantly younger than the first. He had darker hair and his eyes were such a dark brown that they almost blended in with his pupils. The third to step out was a woman with long, sleek, raven hair that was twisted into a complex braid that ran down her back. Her dress was massive and colorful, the folds of fabric seemed to go on forever. The last to step out was a young man, probably not much older than Rapunzel. He had light brown hair, almost blonde, but not quite, and soft blue eyes like the first man had. He wore a smaller crown atop his thick locks, but it was still covered in all manners of sparkling stones of all shapes and sizes.

"Robert, king of Faldonia," a servant announced after hopping off the carriage.

Rapunzel and her parents each bowed to the gray haired man. He returned the bow and beamed at them with a large, pearly white smile.

"Sir Radcliffe, the king's brother." The second man with the dark eyes gave a low bow.

"Vivian, Sir Radcliffe's wife." The raven haired woman swooped her gown in a flamboyant curtsy.

"And Nathaniel, crown prince of Faldonia." The young man with the light hair bowed and tweaked his thin mouth into a small smile.

"King Jonathan, Queen Elinor, and Princess Rapunzel of Corona." Each of the royals bowed or curtsied in turn.

"We are very pleased to have you here," Rapunzel's father said in a very formal tone

"Jonathan!" King Robert cried, and threw his arms around Rapunzel's bewildered father. Jonathan's arms were pinned to his side as the foreign king squeezed him in a tight embrace. "Must you act so formal towards an old friend?"

Robert released the king of Corona and chuckled. Jonathan chuckled in return. "I was not expecting you to be exactly as you were when you were fifteen years old."

"Was that the last time I saw you?" Robert asked, appalled, "Good gracious! That's far too long!"

"Yes, far too long. Come, we are having lunch in the garden. It's a beautiful day." Jonathan held out his arm to his wife who took it with a pleased smile. They began to walk towards the garden, with Robert right beside them, chatting up a storm.

Sir Radcliffe raised an eyebrow with a scoff. He held his arm out to his own wife and they followed after the older royals. Rapunzel was left with Prince Nathaniel. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. What was she supposed to do? Just follow after her parents? Offer to show the prince to the garden?

She was saved the trouble of trying to figure out how to best handle the situation when the prince held his arm out to her. "May I have the honor?" he asked in a formal, but friendly tone.

Rapunzel obliged and wrapped her hand over his elbow. She would be brave. She would not let him know how nervous, uncomfortable, and sad she was. They walked in silence. Rapunzel had been taught that it was rude to stare, so she studied him out of the corner of her eye.

He did not appear to be so uncomfortable with their present situation. He was staring straight ahead, head held high just like a royal was supposed to. He was strangely handsome, but in a different way than Eugene had been. His features were not as firmly chiseled as Eugene's and his eyes were much softer almost to the point of being droopy. Nathaniel's nose was large and round while Eugene's had been thin and defined. His eyebrows were thick, but neat like Eugene's had been. She had to admit that although not close to being as nice looking as Eugene, she could still admire his face.

He cleared his throat. "It is a pleasure to meet you princess," he broke the silence, "Stories of your beauty has reached our kingdom and I'm pleased to tell you that none of the praise has been exaggerated."

Rapunzel felt herself blush at the compliment. She forced herself to be civil back. If they were going to bound together, she didn't want to come across as reserved and unfriendly. "Thank you," she said, "I feel terrible that I really have heard nothing about you."

She saw a subtle look of amusement play across his face. "I'm not at all surprised. No one remembers the timid son of such a rambunctious, fun-loving king," he remarked.

He did not seem very timid to Rapunzel. "Actually, I had not heard of your father either. I'm not very familiar with any other kingdoms and their rulers."

Nathaniel seemed a little surprised by this, but didn't say anything. Rapunzel cleared her throat slightly. "The garden is just ahead," she pointed out. She would have get used to this.

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Eugene leaned against a wall and observed his surroundings. The lower kingdom was almost exactly the same as he remembered it. It did look significantly different than it had when he had first come there when he was two years old (but that was because it had been built up out of its ghetto state when he was about 12 years old).

He turned his focus to a building directly across from him. The orphanage. The place he spent most of his life. It was still a dump even though it had been repaired in some places. He remembered running in and out of that old creaky door with the other kids. He remembered the one time he had to scrub down the entire building, inside and out, for climbing on the roof and tossing handfuls of mud at the girls on the ground. He smiled a little at the memory. Good times.

The door was open and he thought about going inside to see if it had changed inside at all. Most of the kids were somewhere behind the old shack, probably playing some sort of game under the supervision of the mistress. Eugene made up his mind and walked towards the orphanage.

He stepped inside. His foot didn't creak on that floor like he expected, but then he remembered that he never made any noise when he walked anymore. He looked around. Nope, it hadn't changed much at all. Same old rickety walls, random mats and beds scattered throughout the room. The same broken door to the broom closet. The only difference was that the hole in the roof had been fixed.

The hole suddenly sparked a memory. He moved over to the area directly under where the hole had been. He had slept there and he had enjoyed looking out at the stars every night as he fell asleep. Of course, it was never convenient when it rained or something, but still. Then he remembered the loose floorboard. He wondered if maybe...

He quickly found the board in question and tugged on it. It lifted up and emitted a puff of dust. He looked into the compartment and saw it. His book, The Tales of Flynnigan Rider, was perfectly placed inside, exactly as he had left it. He couldn't believe no one else had discovered the hiding place since he left the orphanage nearly six years ago. He opened the book and stared at the pages, worn from being turned so many times.

A cough suddenly sounded behind him. His head shot up in surprise. He had not seen anyone when he came in. Searching the room, he spotted a little boy, probably no older than seven or eight huddled in the corner. The boy had his knees pressed against his chest and he was rocking back and forth wearing a lonely expression.

That's when a crowd of kids burst through the door, loudly laughing and teasing each other. A number of the kids plopped down onto their beds and others just ran around. Eugene watched as the little boy in the corner hugged himself even more as though trying to avoid any attention.

"Hey it's _Julien_!" an older boy declared, pointing at the little boy and laughing. Eugene didn't like the way he said the boy's name. The older boy and his friends rushed over to the boy.

"Hey _Julien_!" one scoffed, "Why are you over here moping? Is it because of your stupid name? You know it's stupid right? A stupid, sissy name!"

The boy, Julien, buried his face in his knees. "What? Are you crying, _Julien_?" another boy sneered, "It suits you. A sissy boy to go with the sissy name!"

The older boys walked away, laughing and scorning. Eugene instantly felt pity for the poor little boy. He was once is his position. 'Eugene' was not exactly the greatest name in the world and he had been teased when he was younger too. What could he do to help that little boy? What had helped Eugene finally stand up for himself?

Then he remembered. He had gained confidence after he started reading The Tales of Flynnigan Rider. He wanted to be just like the brave and noble hero in his book, therefore beginning his transformation from a nervous little boy to what he was now... or once was. He couldn't really say 'now' since he was, technically, dead.

Eugene looked at the book resting on the floor in front of him, trying to avoid a little girl who was flailing her arms while she jumped from mat to mat. Eugene pushed the book along the floor. He didn't want to pick it up and scare the kids since they would probably only see a floating book. None of the kids seemed to notice the book slowly inching across the floor.

Eugene finally reached Julien's side. The little boy still had his head buried in his knees and his shoulders were shaking as he cried. Eugene pushed the book right next to the boy so that it was just touching his foot. Eugene stood back and watched Julien.

The young boy eventually raised his head and saw the book by his feet. He looked around curiously, then back at the book. He cautiously reached forward and lifted the old book from his mat. He was studying it, his red, puffy eyes full of curiosity, but he didn't open it.

For a moment, Eugene wondered if the boy even knew how to read. This thought was disproven when Julien finally opened the book and began to read it. Eugene watched the boy go through several pages. The boy's face started to brighten up a little as he read.

Feeling satisfied, Eugene left the boy to enjoy the book. One good deed down. How many more would he need to ensure that he did not go to hell?

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_I should have named the king and queen earlier. I'm reprimanding myself right now. Oh well, so here we are with all these new names to remember._

_I'm free all day. If I get enough motivation, I could possible get another chapter up before tomorrow. Where does the motivation come from? Reviews! :D_


	10. Eavesdropping

_Hey look at that, I followed through. Here's another chapter._

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What to do now? Eugene had been wandering about the kingdom for a day and a half, doing little good deeds here and there if he could. He wondered how long he would have to keep this up.

As much as tried, he could not stop thinking about Rapunzel and how she was coping. He really did feel terrible for leaving her like he did, but what could he do? He remembered kissing her and not being able to feel it. All those days of him imagining what it would be like to kiss her still had not come to pass. He was just as clueless as he was before.

He wanted to see her again. Just for a little bit. He wouldn't let her see him, but he just had to know if she was recovering from the heartbreak he had caused. He made up his mind that he would return to the castle to check up on her.

He wasn't too far from the castle at the time, having spent a couple hours in the upper part of the kingdom, so it didn't take him long to arrive at the castle gates. He easily walked right past the guards at the gate and entered the courtyard. He scanned the area, making sure that guard, Levi, and Rapunzel were nowhere around since they were the only two (that he knew of) that could see him. Neither of them were in sight so he moved further inside.

Where would Rapunzel be? His first thought was the garden. If he were a prince trying to woo a princess, he probably would have taken her to the garden. It was the most romantic location of the entire castle, especially now in the spring while all the flowers were in bloom. Yeah, he would check the garden first.

The garden was located on the opposite side of the castle from the courtyard. He resisted the urge to run and kept himself at an easy pace, resting his thumbs on his belt and looking at the ground. He reached the garden within no time, though it seemed likes ages. He kept low and crept around the garden, just in case Rapunzel was there.

Sure enough, his theory had been correct. He saw Rapunzel first, then he spotted a head of thick light brown hair beside her. It had to have been the prince she was intended to marry. Eugene could not clearly see his face, but he caught a glimpse of it. Not the handsomest person he had ever seen, nothing compared to himself. Eugene mentally slapped himself for letting Flynn Rider control his thoughts. Eugene had given up telling himself he was the handsomest man alive. That was his Flynn Rider self thinking he still was.

He figured the thought had been sparked by jealousy. He mentally slapped himself again. There was no reason to be jealous over the couple. He could not be with Rapunzel no matter how badly he wanted to. He was dead, Rapunzel was going to marry the prince and that was that.

Eugene scooted closer to the royals in hopes of hearing what they were saying. He could finally pick up their voices once he squatted down behind a rose bush close to the garden bench they were sitting on. He peered through the bush at them

"... you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Rapunzel was saying, "I'm sure you'll be a great king someday."

The prince sighed. "That's kind of you to say, but I'm nothing compared to my father. He's so jolly and fun-loving. I'm just quiet and timid."

"Being quiet can be interpreted as being wise. I've met so many people who are loud and fun, but they talk way too much, making themselves sound ridiculous. I kind of like the type who talk at the appropriate times and let others get a word in every once in a while."

"Then... I think we'll get along just fine," the prince said, "I honestly don't talk much."

"Well you've talked plenty to me," Rapunzel remarked, then she noticed the prince's self-conscious face. "Not too much though! I've enjoyed our conversations."

"We haven't had that many."

Rapunzel smiled. "Well I've enjoyed them anyways."

Eugene sighed and moved away from the couple. Rapunzel was doing just fine. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Part of him was happy that she was happy, but then the other part was hoping she wouldn't forget him. Once far enough away from Rapunzel and her fiancee, he straightened up and began to stroll around the garden. It was a big garden. It took up the entire rear of the castle.

He plopped down on a bench and leaned over on his knees, resting his head in his hands. Why had he come? It just made him more depressed than he already was. Oh yeah, he wanted to check up on Rapunzel. Was it right of him to come back? What good had it really done?

He suddenly heard approaching footsteps. He looked up just in time to see a dark haired man come around the bend. He was dressed in a navy blue suit complete with a silver cape, and he wore all manners of rings, pendants, and other jewels all over himself. Eugene wondered if this man was part of the visiting royalty party.

"Radcliffe!" a woman's voice bellowed, "Where are you?"

The bejeweled man halted in his tracks and turned towards the source of the voice. A woman with black hair appeared. She was a sight. Her dress was enormous and probably had every color in existence on it, she was even more decked out in jewels than the man was.

Clearly neither the man nor the woman could see him, since he was sitting right beside them and the man was staring right over him at the woman. She stomped up to the man, her painted red lips curled into a tight frown. "What is it, Vivian?" the man, apparently named Radcliffe, asked.

"I thought you should know that security is tight here!" the woman named Vivian announced, "They are checking our luggage! The nerve of them! What did you do with the papers?"

"They're safely hidden, my dear," Radcliffe replied lazily, inspecting a nearby lily with great interest.

"What would happen if they were found?"

"They won't be."

"How do you know? If the king found out about what you were doing with those papers-!"

"He won't because I left them back at Faldonia," Radcliffe insisted, growing irritated.

"Faldonia? Are you crazy? They could be found there! You're being too conspicuous!"

"_You're_ the one being conspicuous by shouting it across the kingdom. Lower your voice for heavens sake!"

The shouting woman took a deep breath and continued in a quieter voice. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do! Corona is one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the area. If it were to be united with Faldonia, we would be rich beyond belief."

Eugene was confused by the entire conversation. He had considered leaving before it began, but since Flynn had been at the surface of his thoughts after seeing Rapunzel, he had kept Eugene from going anywhere. Now Eugene and Flynn didn't want to leave.

What were they talking about Corona being wealthy? Rapunzel had told Eugene that she had to marry the prince because their kingdom was dirt poor. So maybe she didn't use those exact words, but still, shouldn't these visitors be aware that the reason that their kingdom was joining Corona was because Corona was desperate for money? Eugene decided to continue listening. He felt nosy, but he was dead, what did it matter?

"I only left the debt papers there. I have the important ones here, hidden somewhere no one will find them," Radcliffe explained, "Even if they did find out where they were, they wouldn't be able to get to them."

_Debt papers?_ Why would debt papers be such a big deal? And what other papers were they talking about? Something told Eugene that whatever these two were talking about could not be good.

"Alright, but I have one last concern," Vivian sniffed, smoothing some curls that had fallen loose from her black braid back behind her ears, "Are you daring enough to follow through with the final part of your plan?"

"I am. There's no need to doubt me, my dear," Radcliffe said, "After this is over, you and I will become rich beyond your wildest belief."

The woman relaxed slightly at the mention of wealth. Obviously the two liked riches a lot, judging by their apparel. She linked her arm with Radcliffe. "You'd better be right," she warned.

"You may be assured of it," Radcliffe said. And with that, he and his companion strolled out of the garden in a smug way.

Eugene wondered who the people were. He knew their names and he knew they came from Faldonia, but who were they exactly? He did not like the way they were talking. Their conversation had been so... conspiring. Eugene wanted to know what the hidden 'papers' they kept referring to were about. Why would debt papers be such a big deal? What could the other mysterious papers be that was so important that they had to keep them hidden? He had to find out what papers they were talking about, but how would he do that?

"Hey you!"

Eugene recognized that voice. With a groan, he turned around and saw the young guard, Levi, running towards him. "Yes?" Eugene asked as the young man approached him.

"Why are you out here in the gardens?" Levi demanded.

"Just taking a stroll, really," Eugene replied, "I have some time off right now and-"

"Didn't you hear that everyone is to stay out of the gardens this afternoon?" Levi cut him off.

"No I didn't."

"Well, the Prince Nathaniel and Princess Rapunzel are to have the gardens to themselves this afternoon. King's orders. No one is supposed to be in here."

"Not even the gardeners?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Levi showed irritation with Eugene's talk-back attitude. "I saw you walking in here and it's my duty to make sure everyone follows the king's orders."

Eugene was amused by the guard's sense of duty and how easily his pride was hurt. He obviously did not like his authority to be questioned nor did he like being told he was not doing his job well. Eugene decided to keep poking fun at him. "What about those other people?"

"What other people?" Levi asked.

"A man and a woman. They were just having a very heated discussion in here a moment ago. I'm surprised you didn't hear them."

Levi's face flushed a bright red. Whether it was from annoyance, embarrassment, or anger, Eugene could not tell, but whatever it was, it was an amusing sight. However, Eugene no longer wanted to tease the guard. Mentioning the bickering man and woman made Eugene remember their discussion. He needed to get his hands on the papers, but how?

Eugene looked back at the red-faced guard who was glaring at him, trying to think of something to say. Then Eugene got an idea. Maybe this boy could be useful to him.

"Levi, isn't it?" Eugene inquired, even though he knew it was.

Levi seemed surprised that Eugene knew his name, but he nodded, still red in the face.

"You seem like the type of person who tries so hard to do his job right, but is never noticed by anyone, am I right?" Eugene inquired.

"Yeah, so what?" Levi asked defensively.

"Well, I think I have something that can help boost your popularity with your superiors."

Levi eyed Eugene suspiciously, but seemed to be slightly interested. Eugene continued, "I just overheard a very suspicious conversation. It involved secret papers and a plan involving the kingdoms of Corona and Faldonia."

"What?"

"You heard me. Am I wrong, or is Corona supposedly in debt with hardly any money left?"

"That's what I've heard."

"Well this conversation I just heard has proven otherwise. They said that Corona was one of the wealthiest kingdoms. These two who were discussing this were visitors from Faldonia. They would know the reason why their prince was marrying our princess, so why should they say that Corona is rich?"

Levi was listening intently now, but tried not to seem _too_ interested. "I suppose it does sound a little fishy..."

"Beyond fishy! I think we need to find out what this is about, but the only way to do that is to find these papers they were talking about."

"The soldiers have already searched the visitors' luggage and nothing has been reported."

"I know that. The papers are hidden somewhere and we need to find them."

Levi stared at Eugene for a moment before finally letting his guard down and leaning closer to him. "What do you have in mind?"

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_Ooh, now this is really getting interesting, eh? Reviews are chocolate for my soul!_


	11. Fire!

_Over 50 reviews? 8D *jumps up and down like a crazy person*_

_I started writing this story thinking that no one would like it, but now... now... *goofy grin*_

_Anyways, ignore my spaz out and enjoy this next chapter._

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"You're sure this is their room?" Eugene asked.

Levi looked slightly offended, but nodded. "Yes, I'm positive."

"Now make sure you don't put it out too quickly," Eugene warned.

"Right," Levi nodded.

"You have the grease?"

"Right here." Levi held up a bucket.

"Alright, let's get to work."

Levi handed Eugene a rag and he dipped it into the thick, dark liquid in the bucket. Levi did the same with his own rag. The two men began smearing the muck across the carpet and walls. They even put some on the nearby furniture. Soon, everything in the hallway was coated in a dark mess.

Eugene stared at it for a moment. He felt bad for having to burn down part of Rapunzel's home, but it deemed necessary. He was glad he was already dead, because if he were caught alive doing this... he didn't really want to think about what would have happened. Eugene glanced at the young, dark-haired guard. He wondered if Levi had fully recovered from his shock that afternoon.

They had been plotting how to ensure that Sir Radcliffe and his wife would stay out of their room. It was Levi's idea to use fire, but then he put it down saying that neither of them would be able to withstand the smoke and flames long enough to find anything. It was then that Eugene revealed to the lad that he could do it because he could not be harmed. He told him who his alter ego was, Flynn Rider. Eugene replayed the entire scene in his mind.

'The thief?' Levi had asked with a laugh, 'But he's dead. The princess said so herself.'

'And so I am,' Eugene had replied.

'How could you be dead if I'm talking to you right now?' Levi had wondered, obviously thinking Eugene was going crazy.

'I'm not real. I'm dead. Only certain people can see me and you are one of them.'

'Right.' Levi had remained unconvinced.

Eugene then saw that he would have to demonstrate. He gestured to Levi's sword on his belt and said, 'Go ahead. Run me through.'

Levi laughed at him, 'You're not serious.'

'I am. Go ahead, try it and you'll see that I'm not alive.'

It took some further convincing before Levi finally raised his sword and lunged forward. He went straight through Eugene, sword and all.

Eugene chuckled to himself, remembering the look on Levi's face. He had never seen someone turn so pale within a few seconds before. The next thing Eugene knew, Levi was flat on his face, unconscious. Eugene had to recruit Pascal to wake him up with his tongue.

Once awake, Levi had... a bit of a freak out. 'A bit' was sort of an understatement. Let's just say that it took a lot of coaxing to get the boy out of the closet that he had barricaded himself in, but it finally happened.

After calming down, Levi agreed that they would use the fire and that Eugene would be the one to search the room. Eugene took a deep breath, "Ready?"

Levi nodded. He walked over to one of the nearby tables that had a candelabra sitting on it. He piled some crumpled pieces of paper beside the table and then threw the grease-stained rags on top. With a quick flick of his hand, he sent the candles toppling over off the table. The papers and rags instantly caught fire and soon, the flames were spreading across the greasy floor, igniting other pieces of furniture.

Smoke began billowing around them as the fire grew. "You'd better go before you suffocate," Eugene said to Levi.

Levi nodded in agreement and after giving Eugene a confident expression, he turned and left. Eugene stepped forward into the flames. He couldn't feel them and they lopped around and through him like he wasn't there, which he technically wasn't. He took another step, still the same result.

The door to the visitors' room had not yet caught fire so Eugene easily opened it and stepped inside without it crumbling or something. He closed the door behind him and looked around the dark room. Being a former thief and all, Eugene was pretty good at guessing where valuables might be hidden.

He checked all the usual spots first. Under the pillows, in the woman's jewelry box, under the mattress, but there was nothing in any of those places. So, Eugene began to scan the floors and walls, looking to see if there might have been some sort of secret compartment.

He found nothing. He went over to a trunk by the window and opened it. It was obviously Lady Vivian's because it was filled with dresses, corsets, skirts, and other womanly clothing. He quickly rummaged through the contents and still found nothing. He shut the trunk and went back over to the bed. He jiggled the bed posts, but none of them were loose.

Screams were suddenly heard from outside the door. Several more joined in. "Fire! Fire! Get help! Fire!"

Eugene glanced back and saw that the door to the bedroom was a reddish color and was cracking at the corners, revealing the orange flames on the other side. The fire must have been extremely large by now. More footsteps began to approach. He was running out of time.

He rummaged through the bed sheets and still found nothing. Where else could he look? He spotted another trunk by the door.

"Our room!" Lady Vivian's shrill voice cut through the air. Eugene cringed at the sound of it. "Do something! All our belongings are in there!"

Eugene hastily opened the trunk and pulled out some of the clothing. This one was was clearly Sir Radcliffe's. He searched through the clothing's pockets, emptied out the shoes. He picked up a pair of black trousers and held them in front of him in order to examine them.

He heard the sound of water being dumped onto the ground. Smoke was now billowing into the room, clouding Eugene's vision. Soon the fire would be out and those who occupied the room would come bursting through the door. If they saw a pair of trousers seemingly floating in the air and their things flung across the floor... Eugene had no idea how the king of Faldonia would take it if his brother's things had been rummaged through while visiting a foreign kingdom. Also the fact that there were trousers floating in the air... yeah, that would roll over smoothly.

"Put it out! Put it out!" Lady Vivian was still shouting outside, "My things are in there!"

Eugene had to do something. Soon, Sir Radcliffe and Lady Vivian would coming bursting through the door and immediately check to make sure their belongings were unharmed. Then, he got an idea. They would probably check on their valuables, which meant... He quickly, but neatly stuffed the clothes back into the trunks and hurried to the corner. All he had to do was wait.

Not long after he had finished putting the things away, the door was opened and soldiers filed inside, holding large buckets that had probably held the water they used to extinguish the fire.

Lady Vivian pushed her way past the soldiers are looked frantically around the room, her eyes flaming with vexation and desperation. Her husband followed close behind her, looking _almost_ equally frantic. Levi stood amongst the soldiers, holding his own bucket. He spotted Eugene in the corner and gave him a questioning look. Eugene gave him a thumbs up and Levi nodded subtly before looking back at the furious visitors.

"How did this happen?" Sir Radcliffe demanded.

"It seems some candles were knocked over, sir," a soldier said, coming into the room, holding a charred candelabra in his gloved hand.

Lady Vivian flew to her trunk and threw open the lid, She ran her hands over the dresses before racing to her oversized jewelry box and thrusting that open as well. Nothing seemed to be harmed except for the things right by the door, which included Sir Radcliffe's trunk.

She shot her husband a horrified glance. Sir Radcliffe rushed forward and opened his trunk. He examined his things. The only part that seemed to be ruined was the exterior of the trunk, nothing inside appeared to be damaged. He glanced at his wife again before turning to the crowd of soldiers.

"It appears everything is in order," he said stiffly, "You may go."

"But, sir," one of the soldiers protested, "You cannot stay in this room-"

"Then go tell your king what happened and maybe he will move us," Radcliffe snapped, "Now leave us."

The soldiers obediently began to file out the door. Levi shot Eugene a look and Eugene gestured for him to go. Levi looked slightly confused but he followed after his fellow soldiers.

As soon as the last soldier was gone, Lady Vivian slammed the door shut. Despite the fact that it had just been burning, the door remained in tact. Eugene looked at Vivian. He had never seen such ferocity on someone's face before. She scowled at Radcliffe, her breathing was coming in quick spurts of mild hyperventilation. She jabbed a shaking finger at her husband. "Where... are... the papers?" she huffed.

"There's no need to worry, my dear," Sir Radcliffe said, "They are unharmed."

"I don't trust you with them anymore," Vivian said through pursed lips, venom flashing in her eyes, "Where are they?"

Eugene was almost afraid of the woman himself, but Radcliffe appeared to be unfazed by her menacing tone. Radcliffe reopened his trunk and pulled out a vest. It was significantly simpler and cheaper-looking than everything else was in the trunk. Eugene wondered why he didn't notice that when he was going through the trunk. Radcliffe also removed a dagger from the trunk. Was it common for visiting royalty to carry weapons with them? It seemed a little suspicious.

Before Eugene could think any more of the dagger, Radcliffe slit a seam on the vest and a bound stack of papers fell out of the material. Vivian and Eugene stared at the papers in Sir Radcliffe's hand. Eugene was shocked while Vivian looked covetous. "Give them to me," Vivian said, "I will take care of them. Do you see how close they were to getting burned? Don't you see that your brilliant plan would have been completely undermined if we lost those-"

"Relax, my dear. They are unharmed, that is what matters," Radcliffe said calmly.

"Relax? You want me to relax? Then give me those blasted papers before I run you through with your own dagger!"

"Oh and I suppose you will be able to follow through with the rest of the plan without me then? I doubt it. It is hardly a lady's work. We wouldn't want you to get your little white hands dirty would we?"

Vivian glowered at her husband, seething with rage. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides and she was still in the midst of her mild hyperventilation. "Put those papers somewhere safe and somewhere that I will be able to access," she grumbled through clenched teeth.

"Very well. Where do you suggest?"

"I will keep them on my person."

"How is that any safer than my trunk? They could easily fall out and someone could find them."

"Not if I keep them somewhere where they will be secure as well as perfectly unaccessible." She gestured to one of her corsets that was lying on top of her trunk.

Eugene suddenly felt his stomach drop. If she kept the papers in her bodice... how was he supposed to get them? He watched in horror as Sir Radcliffe handed the pile of papers to his wife. Eugene heard himself squeak. What was he going to do?

Vivian set the papers down on her trunk and began to unbutton the back of her dress. Eugene had never been more horrified. He had to think of something and fast.

He quickly moved over to Vivian's jewelry box. Vivian was halfway down the buttons on her dress. Eugene pressed gently on the box the size of a small horse until it toppled over with a loud crash. The top opened and all manners of jewelry were strewn across the floor. Vivian gave a cry of surprise then of vexation. "What did you do?" she accused Radcliffe, halting her unbuttoning and beginning to scoop up her precious jewels.

"Me? I was way over here!"

"Well don't just stand there, you imbecile! Come help me pick this up!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Eugene rushed over to the trunk and slipped a single paper out from under the tie around the stack. He looked up and saw that the couple were still busy gathering up Vivian's jewelry. Eugene slipped the paper through the crack between the window panes so that it was outside, but still wedged between the windows so that it did not fall.

He completed his task just in time. Sir Radcliffe and Lady Vivian stood up again, replacing the last of the jewelry. Eugene moved away from the window. Now how was he going to get out before Vivian began removing her clothes again? He stared at the wall by the door. _It's worth a shot_.

He charged forward at top speed towards the wall. If he were alive, the impact would most definitely hurt. He closed his eyes as the wall drew near, but there was no impact. He opened his eyes and found himself in the burnt hallway. He had gone through the wall it seemed.

Then he remembered the paper he had wedged in the window. He rushed into the next room and opened the window in there. He climbed out onto the edge without hesitation. Even if he were alive, the height would not have frightened him. He had scaled the walls of the castle before during his thieving days.

He edged his way along the small edge below the window, towards Radcliffe and Vivian's room. He reached up to the window to grab the paper, but felt nothing. He looked at the window and saw that there was nothing there. The paper was gone!

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_The paper's gone? *gasp*_

_Another chapter down. Tell me what you think. My day gets so much brighter when I see that I got a review!_


	12. An Awkward Dinner

_Just to avoid some confusion, I've put together a character list:_

_Jonathan: King of Corona. Elinor: Queen of Corona. Robert: King of Faldonia. Nathaniel: Prince of Faldonia. Radcliffe: Robert's brother. Vivian: Radcliffe's wife. -Levi: guard. -And then you all know Rapunzel and Eugene :D_

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Eugene raced down the hall. _Alright, Eugene. Stay calm_._ It probably just fell or something._ Somehow his thoughts did not help him calm down at all. He flew down a few flights of stairs and continued to run until he was outside. He couldn't get to the area under the window fast enough.

He frantically searched through the bushes beneath the window. He had to find it. He did NOT want to have to retrieve another paper from Lady Vivian.

"What are you doing?"

Eugene turned around, looking for the source of the voice. Levi stood directly behind him, his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised. "Looking for something," Eugene hastily replied.

"Oh really? The paper?"

"Yeah. I can't-" Eugene froze and looked back at the young guard, "How did you know?"

Levi reached into his sleeve and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper. "I saw it fall and could only guess what it was," Levi explained, "Be grateful. Another soldier almost picked it up, intending to get rid of it. It took a good deal of convincing to get him to give it to me."

Eugene snatched the paper and unfolded it without another word.

"'Thank you, Levi. I'm glad you've got my back.' Why you're welcome, Eugene. I'm glad you appreciate my work," Levi sarcastically remarked. He leaned forward, trying to get a look at the paper. "What is it?"

"It's a letter," Eugene said, "Addressed to King Jonathan of Corona."

Levi looked over Eugene's shoulder at the paper. "What does it say?"

Eugene was confused by what he read. "It's from the Kingdom of Krinton. It says that their part of Corona's debt has been paid off." He looked at Levi, "How many kingdoms is Corona indebted to?"

"I don't know," Levi shrugged, "Maybe about five or six."

"Is Krinton one of them?"

"Probably."

"Well this letter seems legitimate," Eugene said, "But why would two people from Faldonia be in possession of it?"

"You don't think it was intercepted before it got here, do you?" Levi suggested.

"It's possible." Eugene furrowed his brow in thought. "What are they planning? Debt papers, intercepted letters, a dagger-"

"A dagger?"

"Yeah. I think... they might. Well, I'm not sure, but they might be planning to kill someone."

"What?"

"Radcliffe said something about getting his hands dirty. Plus he brought a dagger- not a knife, a dagger- to a foreign kingdom while on a peaceful visit."

"We didn't think there was anything wrong with the dagger when we searched the trunk," Levi said, "But now that you mention it..."

Of course they didn't. Eugene had forgotten how terrible the security system of Corona was. He had so easily stolen the lost princess's crown right from under the guards' noses when he was alive and still a thief, then he was able to escape jail without so much as a scratch. Eugene crossed his arms. "We need to figure out what the rest of their plan is."

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"Hold still, princess. Just one more pin and I'll be done."

Rapunzel held up her arms and froze as the royal seamstress gathered up some of her wedding dress and stuck a pin into it. Two days until the wedding. It was so close. Rapunzel felt sick just thinking about it and all the last minute preparations were not helping her relax.

"There," the seamstress said, "You may take it off now, but be careful."

Rapunzel went behind the screen and slipped the huge white mass of fabric off herself. She carefully tossed the dress over the screen for the seamstress to take, then her maid, Amelia, came around to help Rapunzel into another dress.

Within no time, Rapunzel was on her way to the dining hall for supper. She found, when she entered, that she was the last to arrive. She quickly took her seat beside Nathaniel and mumbled her excuse about having her dress altered.

Now that Rapunzel had arrived, the food was brought out. King Robert immediately began to chat about how much he had been enjoying his time in Corona, how he never wanted to leave, and so on.

Rapunzel glanced at Nathaniel. She knew how he felt about his father's liveliness and easy social attitude. He felt that he would never be able to live up to his father's reputation. Rapunzel could beg to differ though and she felt bad that he thought so low of himself. She thought he was very kind, gentle, and wise, just a little more soft spoken than King Robert. She liked Nathaniel. She did, but not romantically. As much as she liked the prince, she could not forget about Eugene.

Eugene. She really did miss him. Her heart hurt every time she thought about him, but she still would try to remember everything about him. How he climbed into her tower for the first time, his ridiculous Smolder, the way he looked at her at the campfire, how he had held her hands on the boat at the lantern festival, how he came to rescue her from her tower, his sweet last words to her before he died, how he came back, then she remembered their supposed-to-be kiss before he left her. She dreamed every day and night how it might have felt to actually feel his kiss.

She felt herself starting to get emotional. She felt so... incomplete without him. She forced herself to stop thinking about him and turned her attention to King Robert who was still babbling on.

"...probably the finest ball Faldonia had ever seen!" he was telling Jonathan, "It was held in hopes of finding Nathaniel a perspective bride, but he just ignored every young lady in attendance."

Rapunzel noticed Nathaniel staring at his plate, clearly troubled by his father's story. His cheeks were turning pink and his droopy eyes drooped even more.

"Of course, it's a good thing he did not find a wife that night," Robert continued, oblivious to his son's discomfort, "Otherwise he would not be here to marry your wonderful daughter. Honestly there is no one any more worthy than Rapunzel for him. I wouldn't see him with anyone else."

Rapunzel felt her own cheeks begin to flush. Nathaniel stood up. "I'm not feeling well. I think I should go lie down. Please excuse me."

He walked out of the dining hall. Rapunzel seemed to be the only one who noticed the sadness in his eyes. Everyone else only seemed to notice the embarrassment. The dining hall fell into an awkward silence.

"So uh... Sir Radcliffe, do you find your new room comfortable?" Jonathan asked after a few silent moments, breaking the tension.

"Yes quite," Radcliffe replied, "They are all very lovely rooms."

"We are terribly sorry about the fire," Elinor spoke up from Jonathan's side, "Nothing like that has never happened before. You're sure there's nothing else we can do to make it up to you."

"You are very kind, your highness," Lady Vivian said in a flat tone, "But nothing was severely damaged. It's nothing to worry over."

The tension slowly began to decrease and everyone went back to eating. King Robert recovered from his confusion in his son's strange behavior and began talking again. Rapunzel watched Lady Vivian, curiously. The woman fidgeted and adjusted her bodice a good deal. Rapunzel understood the discomfort of corsets, ties, tight dresses, itchy fabric, and such, but she didn't fidget nearly as much as Vivian did. She wondered what it was that caused her so much discomfort.

Rapunzel turned her focus to Sir Radcliffe. He was not eating much and he kept staring at King Robert. Rapunzel saw a look in his eyes. She had only seen such a look once before. And that was on Gothel's face right before Eugene died. She blinked and shook her head. Sir Radcliffe's face was suddenly absent of the horrible expression and he seemed to be enjoying whatever Robert was talking about.

Rapunzel was a bit confused by it. She could have sworn she had seen that expression on his face, but perhaps she had been imagining things. It was ridiculous after all. Why would he hate his own brother?

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_Oh no! You probably have a good idea of where this is going. Sorry this chapter was a little short, but it's Valentine's Day :)_


	13. Another Day Come and Gone

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A whole day had come and gone, full of last minute wedding preparations and fussy servants. Not once had Rapunzel been able to see her husband-to-be and make sure that he had recovered from his sadness from the previous night. Now that the day was over, she decided to see if she could find him before they went to bed. The problem was where he would be. Normally after supper he went out to the gardens, but he wasn't there when Rapunzel checked.

She strolled towards the library, hoping to find him along the way. She had to retrieve a book she had left in there anyways. She hardly expected him to be in there, but to her surprise, he was. She didn't see him at first, but after she had found her book, she spotted him sitting on the sofa with his back to her. She came up behind him and saw that he was hunched over, holding something in his hands and studying it carefully. He didn't notice her even when she was directly behind him.

"Nathaniel?" she finally said.

His head shot up and and his hands flew in the air. Whatever he had been holding was flung into the air. Rapunzel, without time to think, stretched out her hand and caught whatever it was. Nathaniel looked at her, his blue eyes wide with surprise, then he looked at her hand that was holding whatever he had been studying.

Rapunzel opened her hand and saw a silver necklace resting in her palm. It had a long chain and a small, circular pendant about the size of her thumbnail on the end of it. There was a heart engraved into it and there was something written on it. _Roseanne__. _Nathaniel held out his hand. "Could I have that back, please?"

Rapunzel handed it over to him. "What is it?" she wondered.

"It's... nothing," Nathaniel stammered.

Rapunzel was not convinced. "I think that if we are going to be married tomorrow, you should probably start trusting me with things," she said gently.

Nathaniel didn't say anything. Rapunzel saw the sadness reappear in his eyes again as he rolled the pendant around in his hands. "Was it your... mother's?" Rapunzel asked cautiously.

Nathaniel bit his lip. "It's nothing really," he said, "Roseanne was... someone I knew before I came here. She was... a good friend and I'm just sort of missing her, that's all."

"She gave you the necklace?"

"Yes. Well, I exchanged her a ring for the necklace..." Nathaniel trailed off.

Rapunzel understood perfectly. "She sounds like she was very special to you," she urged him on, "More special than just a friend?"

Nathaniel's eyes sagged and he put all his focus on the necklace in his hand, refusing to look at Rapunzel. "I don't want to bother you with this. I'll be over it by tomorrow. She was just a commoner, I-"

"I'm in love with a commoner too," Rapunzel interrupted him suddenly.

Nathaniel finally looked at her. "Who said I was in love with her?"

"Well everything you've said and done implies that you were. Am I wrong?"

Nathaniel hesitated, but finally answered. "Yes... My father doesn't know about us. I've been seeing her for years... ever since I met her when I was sixteen."

"How did you meet her?" Rapunzel asked tenderly.

"She stumbled into a garden party my father was holding. I was particularly bored and had decided to go for a walk on my own. I was by the fountain. She came up and tapped me on the shoulder wanting to ask me the way out, but you may have noticed that I'm a bit jumpy sometimes, and well... let's just say that after a bit of flailing and screaming, we both ended up in the fountain."

Rapunzel smiled at him. It sounded just about as romantic as her first encounter with Eugene. Whacking him over the head with a frying pan and then stuffing him in a closet. "And?" she pressed.

"We became good friends after we forgave each other for the wet clothing. I saw her whenever I could..." Nathaniel sighed, "Eventually, I gave her a promise ring and she gave me her necklace. I wasn't sure how to tell my father about her. I kept trying to send him the message through hints, but he didn't pick up on any of them. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. He has always had such high expectations for my marriage. He would never accept my feelings for a commoner. Then the next thing I knew, he was telling me that I was going to get married to the princess of Corona."

Rapunzel's heart ached for him. They were both in a similar position. Nathaniel suddenly scoffed at himself. "I don't know what it is about you," he said, "but you somehow managed to get so much information out of me in a few minutes than my father has managed in all 20 years of my life."

Rapunzel shrugged. "It's happened before. I was able to get the most stuck up and reserved man to open up and reveal his soft center to me. I hardly had to try... I just asked about it."

Nathaniel nodded. "I believe it. Was this the commoner that you mentioned?"

Rapunzel nodded. She was sure her own eyes now displayed signs of sadness as she thought of Eugene. Nathaniel nodded again then sighed. "It really is a shame. It's difficult to be a leader of so many people that depend on you. You can't marry who you want, and you are expected to be this perfect idol for people to look up to even though you fell so insecure."

Rapunzel hung her head slightly. "Mm-hmm," she said, forcing back the emotion threatening to break loose and turn her into a blubbering idiot, "I guess all we can do is... just... ignore our personal feelings and think of what's best for our kingdoms."

"Yes. I agree," Nathaniel said. He patted her hand, "If I have to be forced to marry someone, I'm glad it's you, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel was touched. He stood up and headed towards the door of the library. "Good night," he said before walking out of the room.

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Eugene grumbled as the door closed to Sir Radcliffe's and Lady Vivian's room. He and Levi had been trailing them all day, trying to learn more about their plan. However, neither of the suspects had done anything remotely suspcious nor did they ever meet together to discuss anything in secret. It was enough to discourage Eugene and Levi greatly. The wedding was only a day away and they were not any closer to figuring out the plan in store for the kingdoms of Corona and Faldonia.

"Did they say anything?" Levi asked, coming around the corner.

"No. Just good night," Eugene said with a sigh.

Levi sighed in turn. "What are we going to do? We don't have much time left."

"I don't know," Eugene said, "All I know is that the kingdoms should not unite if that's what Radcliffe and Vivian want."

"You're right... but how do we stop it?"

Eugene tapped his chin in thought. "We need to tell someone."

Levi scoffed. "Who would believe us? Radcliffe could easily turn the proof we have on us." He held up the letter to emphasize his point.

"I know. That's why we should give it to someone who would believe us. Someone who could also do something about it."

"Like who?"

"Like Rapunzel."

Levi blinked. "The princess? You've got to be kidding me!"

"No I'm not. She would believe it. I know she would."

"How are we supposed to approach her with it?" Levi still remained unconvinced.

Before Eugene could answer, he heard some footsteps approaching. He turned and saw Rapunzel coming around the corner. In a panic, Eugene leapt behind a nearby plant. Levi looked at Eugene confused then nodded curtly at Rapunzel as she passed. As soon as she was gone, Levi leaned down towards Eugene who was squatted behind the plant. "What are you doing? No one can see you except me."

"No... she can see me too."

"What?" Levi asked, shocked.

Eugene shrugged. "Certain people can see me. You and her are the only ones that I know of who can see me."

"Well, what does it matter if she sees you?"

"I..." Eugene was suddenly at a loss for words, "Well... she... she and I... I rescued her, but on the way... well I came to think of her as more than just a strange girl I found and she..."

Levi nodded with a small smirk on his face. "I get it, but why don't you want her to see you?"

"I... left her."

"Left her?"

Eugene nodded. "It's complicated, but let's just say that if she sees me... she might, I don't know, fall over dead from heartbreak."

Levi seemed taken aback by such a statement, but he didn't make a comment. Eugene cleared his throat, forcing any thoughts about Rapunzel out of his mind, "So you need to give her this letter and explain everything to her."

"I can't just show up at the princess's bedroom door and give her a note!" Levi sounded scandalized.

"You can much more easily than I can get some more papers from Lady Vivian!" Eugene mocked the scandalized voice Levi used.

Levi was silenced. He had been giving Eugene a hard time about being a gentleman because he did not want to even attempt to get another letter from Vivian.

"Look, just go to her room. She'll be happy to oblige you. Tell her... tell her that 'an old friend' sent you."

Levi sighed in exasperation as he gave in to Eugene's suggestion. "OK," he said, "But it's your fault if I end up and ghost like you."

"Paranormal."

"I don't care, but if the king finds out I was in her bedroom..." Levi folded up the letter and began to make his way down the hall towards the princess's room.

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Rapunzel was so lost in thought as she walked down the hall towards her room that she almost didn't notice the young soldier standing by a plant. She could have sworn he was making faces at it, but she continued on without another thought on the subject. She was thinking about what Nathaniel had told her about the sacrifice he was making to marry her. What he was doing in order to help her kingdom was so noble. It was a trait worth admiring. She still could not understand why he thought so low of himself.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on her door and she then realized that she was standing in her room. How long had she been there? She turned and opened the door for whoever was knocking. It was the young guard she had passed in the hallway. He didn't look much older than her, probably no more than seventeen years old. She looked at him, confused. Soldiers never came just knocking on her door especially at night.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

The guard looked rather nervous about something. "Forgive me, your highness," he said, "But I have something to tell you from... an old friend."

Rapunzel was puzzled by this. "An old friend?" she repeated.

The guard nodded. "He regrets that he could not come himself, but he knew it was important that you heard this." He held up a folded piece of paper.

Rapunzel looked at the paper then back at him. "Who sent you again?"

"Euge-" the guard suddenly cut himself off, "An old friend."

Rapunzel's heart just about stopped. "Were you about to say Eugene?" she asked quietly.

"I... no... I was..." he didn't finish.

Rapunzel knew he was lying, but if he knew Eugene, maybe she could trust him. She looked him up and down. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Levi, your majesty."

"Come in, Levi." Rapunzel opened the door wider. He hesitantly stepped inside, though Rapunzel couldn't imagine why. She closed the door and eyed the paper in his hands asking, "What is that?"

Levi held up the paper. "This is a very legitimate reason why you do not need to marry Prince Nathaniel tomorrow morning."

Rapunzel's eyes flew to the paper again. "What?"

Levi then told her about how Sir Radcliffe and Lady Vivian had intercepted some letters to Corona that were excusing any debts that were owed. He also mentioned that the 'conniving couple' (as he constantly referred to them as) wanted Corona and Faldonia to be united, that they had set it up themselves. Rapunzel was shocked and she looked at the paper, one of the letters he had managed to get his hands on.

"...and they have something far worse planned. I think they might be planning to kill somebody."

Rapunzel's head shot up. She remembered the look she had seen on Radcliffe's face at the table. "Robert!" she cried.

"What?"

"Robert. King Robert!" Rapunzel repeated. Everything started to fall unto place. Everything made sense to her now. The debts, the marriage, the stolen letters, the planned murder of Robert, Nathaniel's supposed weakness.

"I know what they're planning to do!" Rapunzel cried, "It all makes sense. Go and tell Eugene, here's the plan..."

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Eugene paced up and down the hall. It was very late, he knew that. The time didn't worry him, he couldn't sleep anyways. He did worry about Rapunzel. Levi had been gone for a long time. What was the kid doing?

The sound of footsteps reached Eugene's ears. He turned and saw Levi appear. Levi was glowing with information to share, but as soon as he saw Eugene, he froze in his tracks. Eugene rushed up to him. "What did Rapunzel say?" he asked, "What are we going to do?"

Levi didn't answer. He was gaping at Eugene like he had just sprouted another head. "What?" Eugene asked, irritated with the lack of response.

Levi swallowed hard. "Your- your face," he stuttered.

"What about it?"

"It's all sunk in. Your eyes, they're so far back into your skull." Levi looked like he was about to faint.

"What?" Eugene touched his face, but then suddenly remembered that he couldn't feel anything.

"You're whiter than paper!" Levi exclaimed, "Look at your hands!"

Eugene looked at his hands, but they were not his hands. They were completely pale and he could clearly see the skeleton outlined beneath the skin. Eugene quickly lifted his shirt and looked at his stab wound. To his horror, it was completely black and he could easily count each of his ribs.

He looked back at Levi helplessly. "I'm decaying!"

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_Dun dun DUN! What's going to happen? D8_

_Reviews are the most beautiful thing to me. I appreciate them so much!_


	14. The Wedding

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Rapunzel sucked in her stomach as the the servants finished buttoning up the back of her dress. As small as she was, she still had to make herself even smaller in order to get all of the buttons done. The dress didn't feel as tight once she actually got it on, but putting it on was an adventure within itself. Finally, it was completely buttoned and Rapunzel relaxed. The servants gingerly placed the veil atop her head.

She turned around and looked at her reflection in that large vanity mirror. It was a very beautiful dress, there was no denying that. The bodice was cut into a sweetheart neckline (her favorite) and was embroidered with what seemed like thousands of white beads. The skirt moved with even the slightest twitch yet there were layers and layers and _layers_ of endless fabric. Rapunzel thought that there was more fabric on her wedding dress than there was on all of her other dresses combined.

She adjusted the sleeves as she continued to look at herself in the mirror. The sleeves were made of the same material as her veil and they hung loosely down her arms and stopped just past her elbows. Her shoulders were barely visible through them.

She fingered her hair, ignoring the servants flinching as she did so. It was curled for the occasion since it was too short to do anything else to it. The perfect little ringlets hung loosely around her face. She did not like the curls as much as her regular style, but the servants had insisted that she would look absolutely gorgeous with them, so she obliged them.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. "Come in!" Rapunzel called, not taking her eyes off her reflection.

The door opened and her mother entered. "I thought I would check in," she explained, moving to Rapunzel's side, "How are you feeling, dear?"

Rapunzel nodded at the servants and they hastily left the room. "Alright," Rapunzel replied as soon as they were gone, "I'm pretty nervous."

Elinor nodded. "That's not unusual. I'd be concerned if you weren't nervous."

Rapunzel forced a smile. It wasn't the ceremony she was concerned about. She had other matters pressing on her mind.

"You look very beautiful," the queen remarked. Rapunzel hung her head a bit with a shy smile. The queen unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Rapunzel in a tight embrace. "I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you."

"For what?" Rapunzel wondered.

"For being so brave. You are sacrificing your happiness in order to save your kingdom. It's a very noble act, putting others before yourself."

"My happiness?" Rapunzel pretended to be oblivious to her mother's meaning.

Elinor nodded. "I know you still have lingering feelings for your thief. It must be difficult to marry someone you hardly know when you are in love with someone else."

It was true. Rapunzel sighed, "I couldn't be with him anyways since he is..." she couldn't bring herself to say the word. _Dead_.

"I know, but it still hurts right?"

More than anything anyone could imagine, it did. Rapunzel just nodded. Elinor hugged her again. "Good luck," she whispered.

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Eugene leaned against the wall and tapped his foot. It didn't make any noise, but he was getting used to that. He looked out at all the people crowded in the palace chapel. The people of Corona sat on one side and the guests from Faldonia sat on the other. There was a significant difference in the apparel of both sides. The people of Faldonia wore much finer, more elaborate clothing than the people of Corona.

Levi stood on the opposite side of the room with a couple other soldiers. He occasionally threw Eugene a glance, but would always quickly look away with a flinch. It was probably because of the decaying. Eugene actually had absolutely no desire to know what he looked like. He was sure it was terrible. He wanted to spend eternity with the memory of his once handsome face. His time was almost up, he was soon going to heaven or hell. And he sure did not want to waste his last bit of time.

He thought about the plan at hand. He had planted rope by the door like Levi had instructed. Now he stood back against the wall and scanned the rows of wedding guests. He spotted Sir Radcliffe and Lady Vivian sitting near the front at the end of their row. Lady Vivian's elaborate dress took up two entire extra spaces. Eugene had to wonder how she managed to move in such a massive piece of work, she probably couldn't... not very fast at least. He was sure that even Rapunzel's wedding dress would not be as big as Vivian's.

Eugene suddenly lost himself as he imagined what Rapunzel would look like when she arrived. She always looked beautiful and wedding dresses hardly ever failed to make even the plainest looking woman to glow. Eugene could only imagine what it would do for Rapunzel.

Music suddenly began to play. The ceremony was about to begin. Eugene watched as Prince Nathaniel stood at the front, dressed up in his wedding attire. His hands were firmly clasped behind his back and he stared straight ahead.

Everyone stood up and looked towards the back. Eugene looked as well and his heart nearly stopped. Rapunzel was slowly and ceremoniously making her way down the aisle. And she looked absolutely stunning. He couldn't really see her face because of the veil, but everything else about her seemed so majestic. He had to force himself to think rationally because his mind had gone blank when he saw her. He pressed himself against the wall so that she wouldn't be able to see him. As far as he knew, she did not know that he had been at the castle for the past few days.

Rapunzel was handed off to Nathaniel by King Jonathan, then Nathaniel led her to the minister. Everyone sat down as the minister began to speak. Eugene looked at Levi who tapped his nose three times. The signal. Eugene walked around to the door and retrieved the rope he had hidden. He pushed it along the floor with his foot so as not to call attention to it.

He continued to push it until he was next to Sir Radcliffe and Lady Vivian. They were both staring at the minister, Radcliffe looking rather tense and Vivian looking extremely bored. Radcliffe kept fidgeting with his coat. He would reach into it for a moment then remove his hand again, empty. He did this continually.

Eugene crouched down beside them and carefully strung the rope around Radcliffe's ankles. Luckily he had thick black boots on so it made Eugene's job much easier to fulfill. He carefully wove the rope into several knots, just tight enough that Radcliffe would not be able to remove his feet from them, but loose enough that he would not notice them until he tried to walk. Eugene decided not to even attempt to get to Vivian's feet since they were buried somewhere beneath her massive dress, but he figured she would not get very far anyway because of the dress. In a way, she had trapped herself.

As Eugene stood up, he saw that Radcliffe was still sticking his hand into his jacket. Eugene leaned forward and put his face close to the coat. The next time Radcliffe put up his hand to open the coat, Eugene saw a glint of something long and sharp inside. _The dagger!_

Eugene slunk back to the rear of the chapel and watched. He gave Levi a thumbs up when he looked at him, then folded his arms and waited. The minister was beginning to wrap it up. It was almost time.

"...and do you, Princess Rapunzel of Corona, take this prince to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish through sickness and health until death do you part?"

Everyone watched Rapunzel with anticipation. Rapunzel looked at Nathaniel, then at the minister, then at the congregation. "I..." she began. She took a breath and then said loudly, "I don't!"

Everyone gasped and some muttering began amongst the crowd, mostly on Faldonia's side. Rapunzel turned towards them, her hands on her hips. "This marriage in unnecessary!" she announced boldly.

"What do you mean?" King Jonathan asked, "We need to secure-"

"Corona is _not_ in debt," Rapunzel cut him off, flinging her veil over her head so that her face could be seen, "We do not owe any money to any kingdom."

"How do you know?" Jonathan asked.

Rapunzel removed a piece of paper from the back of her dress. "This," she said, holding the paper in the air for all to see, "is a letter from the kingdom of Krinton. It was intercepted before it reached Corona and then was hidden away so that we would believe that Corona was still in debt. This letter informs us that our debt has been paid off. And I know for a fact that there are more of these letters from other kingdoms that we were unable to secure before now."

Jonathan and Robert stood up and skeptically walked up to her. Elinor stood up as well, but she just stood in the aisle, watching. Jonathan took the paper from his daughter and read it with Robert looking over his shoulder. "It seems legitimate," he said after a moment, "But what about the letters we got that made claims for money?"

"They were forged," Rapunzel explained, "Corona and Faldonia are the two richest kingdoms in the area. If they united, the riches and wealth would be unimaginable. The people who intercepted the letters and forged the debt papers wanted this to happen. Once the kingdoms were united, they planned on killing King Robert so that Nathaniel would become king."

Everyone gasped at this statement. Eugene watched Radcliffe and Vivian fidget nervously, but neither of them moved from their seats. Rapunzel took another deep breath before continuing.

"Supposedly, Nathaniel is weak, a pushover. At least that's what many people see him as, including himself. Therefore he would be easy to overturn or even kill. Then the Faldonia/Corona combination would be without a king."

"Who?" Robert was fuming, his usually good-humored face bright red and twisted into a frown, "Who apprehended the letter? Who forged the papers? Who set all this up?"

Rapunzel jabbed her finger at the second row on Faldonia's side. "It was Radcliffe and Vivian!"

Everyone turned to look at the accused, stunned. "That's prepostrous!" Radcliffe immediately laughed, "Why, she could have found that letter anywhere! How can she prove that it was us?"

Vivian laughed along with him. "Indeed! Why would we want to kill our own family?" she added in her usual, annoying screechy voice.

Rapunzel suddenly did not know what to say. Eugene sprinted over to Levi, staying low so that Rapunzel could not see him. He stood right next to the soldier and whispered, "Radcliffe has a dagger hidden in his coat."

Levi nodded and then stepped forward to Rapunzel's side. "Alright, Sir Radcliffe," Levi said with conviction, "If you are innocent, open your coat and show us what you have inside."

Radcliffe's face dropped, but only for a split second. He scoffed. "Oh please, what would opening my coat do? It won't prove anything!"

"If you have nothing to hide," Nathaniel stepped forward, standing on Rapunzel's other side, "then it shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

Radcliffe scoffed again. "Fine. You want to see what's in my coat?" He reached for the front of his jacket. Vivian was frozen, staring wide eyed at her husband's hands. Radcliffe's hands seemed to move in slow motion as they approached the buttons. He took hold of one side and began to pull it open.

Suddenly, he whipped out the dagger, madness blazing in his dark eyes. He stood up, but made no move towards an exit. Instead he grabbed Queen Elinor from the aisle and held the dagger to her throat. He scowled at Rapunzel, accusingly. "You little urchin! If you had just kept your little nose where it belonged, this would not have happened!"

Elinor was frozen and growing pale as the dagger was held dangerously close to her neck. Rapunzel, Jonathan, Nathaniel, and Robert were all staring in horror at the scene. Levi took a step forward, but Radcliffe held the knife closer to Elinor's throat. "One more step and your queen dies!" he threatened.

Everyone froze. Radcliffe and Vivian both grinned maliciously. "Now," Radcliffe said calmly, "We will be on our way. If anybody tries to follow us, the queen dies."

Radcliffe went to take a step, but found that his foot would not obey. Instead, only his upper body moved forward and he released Elinor in order to catch his balance. It was time enough for Elinor to scramble away. Radcliffe's arms flailed as he desperately fought for balance. He began to tip over. Vivian grabbed his sleeve, hoping to pull him back, but instead they both toppled over, face first into the stone floor. Vivian's legs stuck up straight in the air and her dress lopped over the tangled couple, entrapping them in yards of fabric.

The soldiers immediately rushed forward and quickly dug through Vivian's dress until they found the two humans. Radcliffe and Vivian were pulled to their feet and then dragged away to be dealt with later. Everyone applauded as Elinor joined the others up by the altar. The kingdom was saved.

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_Pfft! What a cliche ending phrase, but it's not over yet. Reviews= love and joy._

_NOTE: School is threatening to rule my life all day tomorrow. I'm in the school play and we've got rehearsals, then I've got this huge project to finish so I might not be able to update tomorrow. (Aaah! Don't hurt me, I'm sorry! *whimpers*) I'm really bummed because I've really been enjoying writing this story and it's so close to being done. I'll try my hardest to get something up tomorrow, but don't count on it._


	15. This is Goodbye Then?

_I was originally going to separate this into two chapters, but decided that since I skipped out on yesterday's update, I would give you one long chapter so you wouldn't have to wait for the end. You're welcome :)_

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The chapel was beginning to empty. Jonathan, Elinor, and Robert had all gone to make sure that everyone got out alright. Rapunzel sighed and sat down on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. It was over. She was not getting married. She would just have to go back to her pathetic little life of attending etiquette lessons and hopelessly dreaming about Eugene.

She had hoped against hope that she would be able to see him at the wedding, but he did an excellent job at remaining hidden from her. Levi was fortunate enough to be able to see him as well except that Eugene actually _allowed_ the guard to see him while he just remained hidden from her. She knew he was at the wedding since Radcliffe's ankles had been bound just like she had planned, but she never really saw him. She thought she saw him by Levi at one point, but she was too caught up in the accusations to really look.

Her thoughts lingered back to the last time she actually saw him. By the lake, when he left her. Her hand came up and she touched her lips, remembering the kiss she had not felt. She was sad. No she wasn't sad, she was upset. Why did he have to just leave her like that after kissing her, then not have the decency to show himself to her even though he was in the same room as her?

Then she began to reprimand herself. What was she thinking? He left her so she would continue with her life. She couldn't be with him and she had to move on. She knew that she would probably have a hard time dealing with him leaving for a second time and therefore tried his hardest to remain unknown to her. She sighed, sad again, and rested her chin on her knees. She began to mindlessly hum her healing incantation. She noticed she tended to do that when nervous or upset. She used to twiddle with her long golden hair, but now that it was short, she had picked up a new habit.

She was suddenly aware that someone was sitting next to her. She looked up and was met with the soft blue eyes of Nathaniel. He smiled gently at her. She gave a half smile, still depressed by her thoughts. Nathaniel cleared his throat and looked ahead. "I just wanted to say that uh... that was really brave of you."

Rapunzel couldn't think of a good response so she just replied with, "Thank you."

"I think... one day you'll be a wonderful queen."

Rapunzel allowed herself to be touched by the comment. She looked at him again. "And I think you'll be a wonderful king."

He rolled his eyes slightly and turned his head. "No really!" Rapunzel insisted, "Just because you're quiet does not mean you're weak. I've seen your nobleness, your wisdom, your kindess. You have all the traits for a good king. You've just got to show everybody what you can do."

Nathaniel didn't say anything. Rapunzel smiled and gave him a little nudge. "I think once you get back to a certain someone, your mood will change."

"Get back to who?" a voice came from nearby.

Rapunzel and Nathaniel looked up and saw King Robert standing in front of them. "Father!" Nathaniel exclaimed, standing up, "I-I thought you were outside."

"So I was, but everyone was taken care of," Robert raised an eyebrow, "Who are you going back to?"

Nathaniel looked at Rapunzel. She gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, father, I..." Nathaniel stumbled over his words, put pressed onward, "... there's uh... well..." He gave up. "I promised some friends that I'd go hunting with them when we got back."

Rapunzel wanted to face palm herself. He was so close. "What he means, your highness," Rapunzel said, standing up as well, "Is that there is a girl waiting for him back at Faldonia."

Nathaniel looked at her, horrified at what she had just done. Robert eyed his son carefully. "A girl?" he asked, "A princess? A noblewoman?"

The prince gulped. "Well, no... she's a," he coughed into his fist, "a commoner."

"He's been seeing her for a long time, right Nathaniel?" Rapunzel put in brightly, pretending to be oblivious to Nathaniel's discomfort.

Robert's face did not shift in the slightest. "How long has this been happening?"

"Four years, sir," Nathaniel muttered.

Rapunzel couldn't help herself, but Nathaniel was obviously not going to share anything unless provoked. She would have be the one to do it, she didn't care if he regretted opening his mouth in front of her. "He gave her a promise ring, didn't you?" she said.

She convinced herself that she had not taken it too far even though Nathaniel looked like he wanted to blend into the walls and never reappear. Robert stepped closer to Nathaniel, "You want to marry this girl?"

Nathaniel took a breath and nodded. "I... I love her. She means the world to me. I wanted to tell you for the longest time, but... I was afraid of what you'd think."

Robert didn't blink as he stared his son. Nathaniel fumbled with his hands, waiting for a response. Even Rapunzel was silent. "I guess we've got another wedding to arrange then," Robert finally said.

Rapunzel beamed at Nathaniel who looked completely stunned. "You mean... you're going to let me marry her?"

"If that's what you want. I'm not stopping you. You can marry her as soon as we get back."

Nathaniel finally beamed back at Rapunzel then was unexpectedly pulled into a tight hug by his father. "It's about time you found a girl!" he cried, swinging his son around, "What's she like? Is she pretty? Would I like her? I probably would! Oh happy day!"

Robert pranced off shouting more rejoicings about love and marriage and other stuff that Rapunzel couldn't quite make out. Nathaniel turned back to Rapunzel, a grin still spread across his face. "I ought to smack you for saying all that," he quipped.

"You would hit a lady? I'm surprised at you!" Rapunzel joked back.

Nathaniel chuckled. "Well, my love affairs are settled," he said, becoming a little more serious, "What about you? Didn't you mention a commoner?"

Rapunzel's giddiness suddenly came crashing down around her. Her face dropped. Nathaniel looked concerned, "What's wrong?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "It's nothing. You just go and enjoy your love life... because it's possible for you to be with her!"

With that she made a break for the door, leaving a very confused Nathaniel behind. She ran and ran. She didn't know where she was going. Her tears were trickling down her cheeks as she raced on. The realization had hit. Everything had turned out perfectly for everyone except her. She had to escape. She had to get away from everyone else's happy endings.

She finally found herself in the stables. She found Maximus eating in his stall. "Max!" she cried, tears still flowing. Maximus looked up at her. "Max! I need you to take me away!" Rapunzel said, "Anywhere! I just need to get away!"

Maximus swallowed his mouthful and nodded at her. He seemed to know exactly where he wanted to take her.

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Maximus took Rapunzel through the forest at top speed. Rapunzel hardly noticed where they were as tears blurred her vision. She could not take it anymore. She had hoped that she would have been able to move on with her life after Eugene left, but it the pain had only gotten worse with each day that passed. It was unbearable.

She suddenly noticed that they were riding through a familiar curtain of ivy. She looked up and saw her old tower exactly as she had left it. She wiped her eyes as Maximus came to a stop at the base of it. Her tower, where she had grown up, where she had met Eugene, where Gothel and Eugene died. Her head shot up. She had left Eugene's body up there, still chained to the staircase. She had the sudden urge to go up. If he would not allow her to see him as a Paranormal, then she would go see his body.

She slipped off of Maximus's back and rushed towards the secret passage at the back, gathering up her dress as she did so. She clambered up the stairs and and through the trapdoor. It was dark inside even though it was still in the early afternoon. Her eyes fell upon a pair of brown leather boots protruding from the shadows by the staircase. _Eugene!_

Rapunzel stepped over to the shadows, closer to the body. She halted when she got a good look at his face. It was beyond pale and everything was sunk in. His skin looked like clay and his skeleton's outline was clearly visible. It hardly looked like Eugene anymore. He was completely gone now. She knelt down beside his body, tears welling up in her eyes again. He had not managed to find a way back into his body. Even if he was still roaming the earth, it would be pointless for him to try anymore. His body was decaying.

She found herself beginning to hum the healing incantation. Her habit of doing that had been becoming much more frequent recently, but now her sorrow was a thousand times worse than it had been in the past and she began to actually say the words. "Flower gleam and glow/ let your power shine/ make the clock reverse/ bring back what once was mine..."

Tears began to fall and her eyes burned from them. She threw herself over Eugene's chest, suddenly not caring that he was a rotting corpse. "Heal what has been hurt/ change the fate's design/ save what has been lost/ bring back what once was mine..."

Rapunzel's tears ran down her cheeks and onto the body. She clutched to Eugene's vest, sobbing into it. What good was her life without him? He had shown her the world, literally. He had taught her how to live and had accepted the pain of their separation, unlike her. He had given up so much so much for her, including his life and she wished he hadn't. She didn't deserve that. She was so incomplete without him, but he was gone.

"What once was mine."

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Eugene kicked at a wall only to have his foot go right through it. Irritated, he pulled it out. How much longer did he have? Surely this deed of saving Corona redeemed him and he would be able to go to heaven rather than hell. He just wanted to know! He was tired of being there with Rapunzel so close, but unattainable.

A group of soldiers came from around the corner. King Jonathan was in the midst of them, speaking with Levi. "So you played a part in uncovering this plot against our kingdom?" the king asked Levi.

"Yes, your majesty," Levi replied.

"You should be rewarded. Promoted maybe?"

Levi gave an obviously toned-down grin at the thought. The king laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

Levi suddenly spotted Eugene leaning against the wall. "Uh excuse me, your majesty, but there's someone I need to speak with," Levi said, backing away from the group.

"Of course, of course," Jonathan said, "We'll talk about your promotion later, my boy."

The king and soldiers walked past Eugene. Levi approached him and cleared his throat. He seemed to be trying to think of something to say.

"So..." Eugene said before Levi could think of anything.

"So?"

"It looks like my time is just about up," Eugene said, displaying his bony white hand to emphasize his point, "I just wanted to say that... you aren't such a bad guy after all."

Levi smirked. "It's been a pleasure to work with you, Fitzherbert. I wish you luck whether you go to heaven or hell. Though, I personally believe you deserve a spot in heaven."

Eugene smiled slightly. He certainly hoped so. He heaved a sigh. "Would you... say goodbye to Rapunzel for me?" he asked, "I would do it myself, but... I don't want her to see me like this."

Levi nodded. "I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yeah. I'd shake your hand, but, well that wouldn't work out. So goodbye."

No sooner had he said this did everything start to spin. Levi's form was fading away into nothing. Eugene became aware that he was moving, the space still spinning around him. Blurs of color surrounded him. He was being taken somewhere. Heaven, Hell, he wasn't sure still. He would just have to wait and see. His time was up.

The spinning began to slow and the colors became less blurred. Soon everything had stopped altogether. However, Eugene was not somewhere bright and wonderful, nor was he somewhere dark and dreadful. He was standing outside Rapunzel's old tower. Why was he brought there? Was he supposed to just wait where he was? Was he supposed to go inside?

He decided he would go inside. He just wanted to get one last look at his body, even if it was ugly and decaying. He remembered the secret staircase at the back. He walked over to it and began to make his way up the stairs. He felt like he was alive and walking to his execution. It was such a long march upwards.

As soon as he stuck his head out of the trapdoor at the top. Everything around him froze. There was a flash of purple light and the Soul Keeper appeared next to the trap door. "Eugene Fitzherbert," it said.

Eugene climbed all the way inside. "Yes, I'm here. So where am I going?"

"What do you mean?" the Soul Keeper asked.

"Where am I going?" Eugene repeated, "Heaven or hell?"

The Soul Keeper stepped closer to him, or glided closer. Whatever it was, it got it closer to Eugene. "Your past crimes have been redeemed. This would normally ensure you passage to heaven. However..."

Eugene swallowed. He was going to hell, he knew it. "However," the Soul Keeper continued, "You were given the special privilege to find a way to get back inside your body. Most souls that arrive in limbo do not get that option. They just come back and try to right some wrongs and then go to heaven."

The Soul Keeper bobbed the purple orb up and down as it spoke. "Every soul has a specific purpose for coming to Earth. Your's was to serve as a companion to the princess of Corona. However, you failed to fulfill this duty when you were alive and you failed to find a way to get back into your body to get another chance to fulfill it."

Eugene hung his head. That was the whole point of his returning. To reunite himself with his body, not to redeem himself. "So... I'm not going to heaven then?"

"No," the Soul Keeper replied.

Eugene hung his head. He had trued, but failed. He would be stuck with that thought for all eternity.

"You may have failed to find a way to reunite yourself with your body," the Soul Keeper said, "but she didn't."

The Soul Keeper pointed to something in the shadows. Eugene looked and saw his body with Rapunzel sprawled out over it, wedding dress and all, clinging to his body, sobbing. She was frozen like everything else around them.

"Why is she here?" Eugene asked.

"She came here shortly after the wedding, heartbroken."

The Soul Keeper had said she found a way for him to come back. "What did she do?" Eugene wondered.

"She cried on you," the Soul Keeper said, "She cried while singing her little healing song."

"But she lost that power when I cut her hair."

"No. There's still magic inside her. She didn't cry over you when your first died and even though she has cried since then, she was not singing the incantation at the same time. So she had a last little bit of power to use. I just had to be activated."

Eugene looked back at Rapunzel and his body. "So I can go back inside my body?" he asked slowly, but hopefully.

The Soul Keeper nodded. "You may not believe in soul mates, but that's exactly what you two are. You are incomplete without each other."

The purple orb began to glow brighter. "Don't waste your second chance, Eugene Fitzherbert!" the Soul Keeper called.

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Rapunzel's face was buried in Eugene's vest, not caring that it smelled. Hurt and pain was all that was in her mind, they had taken over her senses. She wanted to be with him so badly. He had been her new dream after the lanterns.

She suddenly thought that the room was getting brighter, but she didn't bother to look since her sorrow was still controlling her senses. It was when she felt the body she was clinging to begin to fill out beneath her when she finally looked up, confused. She was going to look at Eugene, but was distracted by the light that had, indeed, filled the room. It was now retreating back to Eugene's side where his wound was.

Rapunzel looked at the place and, to her surprise, found no trace of the fatal mark that had taken Eugene's life. The only trace that there had been any sort of injury was the dried blood that stained his shirt.

Rapunzel looked at his face. Shocked, she saw that it had been filled back out into its original shape, exactly as she remembered it. Color was returning to his cheeks, his skin no longer pale white and clay-like. His hands and chest were filled back out as well. The biggest shock though was when she felt his chest rise and fall beneath her hand. She gasped and withdrew her hand.

"Rapunzel?"

_No, it couldn't be. It was too good to be true._ Rapunzel looked back at his face. Eugene's eyes were open and she could clearly see the beautiful hazel color. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Was he really alive? Or was she hallucinating? Had all that mourning driven her mad? He smiled a little at her and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Eu-Eugene?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

He grinned at her. "Yeah. Last I checked, that's me."

Rapunzel could not believe it. She wanted to pounce on him and squeeze him tight, but she couldn't move. She was still in shock. "But... how-?"

Eugene didn't take his eyes from her. "Your tears. They still have the power your hair had," he explained.

"I can't- you're- I mean... I don't..." Rapunzel couldn't pull her thoughts together.

Eugene flexed his fingers, seeming to be oblivious to Rapunzel's blubbering. "I feel sort of stiff," he remarked, "I guess that's not surprising, I've been laying on this floor for over a week, dead."

"You... _feel_?" Rapunzel asked. The word seemed so foreign to her. He could actually feel? Could she touch him and feel it?

The man sitting beside her smiled. "I can feel," he answered.

He got to his feet and stretched. Then he reached down and took her hands in his, pulling her to her feet. She could feel his hands! The warmth of his skin against hers, it made her remember how he had held her hands during the lantern festival. Warmth washed over her entire body, starting from where her hands touched his. He carefully lifted a hand up to her forehead and pushed some of her tasseled hair out of her eyes.

"Can _you_ feel?" he asked softly.

She could! She _could_ feel him! She just gave a small nod. The next thing she knew, his hand was cupped over the back of her head, slowly pulling her closer to him. She remembered the first time he did that, he never accomplished his goal and left the both in regret. She didn't want that feeling again, so she was going to make it happen before something else came up. She grabbed his vest, yanked him towards her, and quickly pressed her lips against his.

She _felt_ them against her own. She _felt_ him kiss her back. She _felt_ his arms encircle her waist. She _felt_ his warmth as she wrapped her own arms around his neck. He was alive and whole and finally kissing her. It was more wonderful than anything she had imagined. At last they were together and she had a happy ending just like everyone else.

She felt whole again.

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_Aw, you guys didn't think I would actually never get those two back together again, did you? I have a hard time with super sad endings (stories must have at least a 'satisfying' ending for me to enjoy them) so I couldn't even think of separating them forever. Epilogue to come. _

_Reviews will make me sing opera and drive my parents crazy, so review please XP_


	16. Epilogue

_Over n- ni- nine- ninety reviews? *faints* This is only the second fanfic I've ever written and it's this popular? I feel so loved! (Take that you stupid English teacher! I CAN write :D)_

_Wow, thank you so much! For the record, I DID sing opera (the ending of the song, The Phantom of the Opera, to be specific), but my parents weren't around at the time :( However I greatly entertained my dogs. One of them started howling XD_

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"Eugene! Isn't this exciting?"

Eugene felt like his arm would be yanked off as Rapunzel ran all over the place enthusiastically, refusing to release his hand no matter what. "Yeah," he complied, more focused on trying to avoid people as he was pulled past them, "Would you slow down a little? They aren't going anywhere."

Rapunzel ignored his comment and continued to weave through the crowd of people. "There they are!" she cried in delight, pointing ahead.

Eugene looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw Prince Nathaniel's head first, but then he spotted the petite figure dressed in white by his side, the new princess of Faldonia.

"Nathaniel! Roseanne!" Rapunzel called out. The newly weds turned and saw Rapunzel dashing towards them, dragging Eugene behind her. They both smiled at the princess of Corona.

"We finally found you," Rapunzel grinned, finally stopping the tugging on Eugene's arm, though she didn't release his hand, "I had to see you as soon as I could!"

Eugene smirked. "Yeah. It took us like a whole ten seconds to get over here. Far too long for Rapunzel."

Rapunzel nudged him affectionately before speaking again. "I'm so happy for you two!" she exclaimed, "Weddings are so exciting!"

"As long as you're marrying the right person," Nathaniel said, putting an arm around Roseanne.

"Oh absolutely!" Rapunzel nodded.

"And how are you, Eugene?" Nathaniel suddenly addressed the man at Rapunzel's side.

Eugene was trying to figure out a way to separate himself from Rapunzel. His plan was not going to work if she did not let go of him for just one minute. Nathaniel's question snapped him out of it. "Oh just fine," he replied, "Um, Rapunzel. How about I go get us something to drink?"

Rapunzel's eyes brightened more, if that was even possible. "OK. I'll come with you!"

_No, no, no! Excuse, excuse!_ "Erm... I'm sure you want to stay and talk to Nathaniel. I mean you haven't seen each other in like two weeks, right? I won't be gone long."

Rapunzel looked up at him with her big eyes and a slight pout. "Alright," she said, hesitantly releasing his hand, "You come right back though."

Eugene nodded and pretended to head for the refreshments table until Rapunzel turned back around and began to happily chat with the newly weds. He was so happy to see that Rapunzel's old enthusiasm and quirkiness had returned. The way her eyes lit up with everything she saw was one of the reasons he fell in love with her. She looked so beautiful as she gave her full undivided attention to whoever was talking, and how she would always respond with a wide smile. She was so cheerful, optimistic, over excited, kind, loving, compassionate... too wonderful for her own good. _The plan!_ He reminded himself, shaking his head.

He searched the crowd of people, but before he found what he was looking for, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Eugene looked back into the smiling face of King Jonathan. "How's my daughter doing?" he asked.

Eugene cleared his throat. As open as the king was with him, he still intimidated the ex-thief. "Much better. She still won't ever let go of my hand, but at least she's not clinging to me all day. She seems to be enjoying herself though," he said, pointing at the princess, bouncing slightly in place as she listened to Nathaniel with a grin.

The king smiled as he watched his daughter. "I never would have known how very... bubbly she is if you hadn't returned," he said, "She hardly ever gave a genuine smile when she first returned."

Eugene nodded, he had seen it, but he and Rapunzel felt that they should not tell the king and queen about his Paranormal "life". As far as they knew, he just survived the stabbing and returned after he recovered. Maybe they would tell the truth later, but the king and queen had been through enough in the past month since Rapunzel returned.

Eugene spotted exactly who he was looking for. "Excuse me, your majesty," he said as politely as possible. He bowed his head slightly and left the king by the refreshments table.

Levi had become Rapunzel and Eugene's personal guard, so he was to accompany them wherever they went. Eugene saw him near a massive ice sculpture of Faldonia's kingdom symbol. As Eugene got closer, he saw that the young guard was talking to Rapunzel's maid, Amelia, who had also accompanied them to Faldonia for the wedding. Then Eugene noticed that Amelia was twirling her hair in her fingers while batting her eyes lashes, plus her cheeks were slightly pink as she spoke with Levi. Eugene stopped a few steps away from them. He had seen that look on a girl's face enough to know what it meant.

Levi noticed Eugene first. He turned his attention from the maid to the reformed thief. As he caught eyes with Eugene a message of understanding passed through them and he nodded. "I'm sorry, Miss Devencroft," he said to the maid, "But we'll have to continue this conversation later. I'm needed elsewhere for a moment."

"Oh. Of course," Amelia nodded in slight disappointment, "I'll see you later." She threw Levi a slight smile as she left him and Eugene alone.

As soon as she was gone, Eugene burst into laughter. "She was totally flirting with you!"

"She was not!" Levi protested, his cheeks coloring.

"She was, you debonair kid, you!" Eugene laughed, ruffling Levi's hair.

Levi scowled and smoothed out his hair before putting his helmet back on his head. "She was not flirting with me! I'm not the philandering type like you. We were just having a friendly conversation."

Eugene smirked. "Think what you will, but I know what I saw. There's no escaping it."

Levi folded his arms and deepened his scowl. "Just for that, I'm not going to help you."

"I think you will," Eugene replied casually, "Since I _do_ control your job. One word to the king-"

"Alright, fine!" Levi threw up his arms in exasperation, "I'll help!"

"Good." Eugene smirked again, "Now, I'll be over by the stables. You get Rapunzel over there as soon as possible."

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know. You think of something."

Eugene left Levi to go find Rapunzel. He headed for the stables and sought out Maximus. "Hey Max," he greeted the horse.

Maximus only snorted. "Thank you for gracing me with your company," Eugene rolled his eyes, "Have you got the box?"

Maximus gestured to one of his saddlebags with his muzzle. Now all Eugene had to do was wait for-

"Oh my gosh! Eugene are you alright?"

Eugene turned just in time to see Rapunzel practically tackle him, throwing her arms around him and knocking the wind out of him, "Do you have a fever? Did you fall? Did you break something? Do you have a rash?"

Why was she so hysterical? _Levi._ Eugene would get him for this later. "Rapunzel," he said, prying her off of him, "I'm not hurt or sick or anything."

Rapunzel's face relaxed slightly and Eugene noticed Pascal perched on her shoulder, sporting a bright red color. He returned to his regular green color as Rapunzel relaxed. "Then why did you need me?" Rapunzel asked.

"I have something for you."

Eugene reached into Maximus's saddle bag and pulled out a small box. He opened it and revealed a simple silver band with one small diamond on it. Rapunzel's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Eugene!" she gasped, staring at the ring a smile playing over her mouth.

"It's only a promise ring," he explained.

"Just like Nathaniel gave Roseanne!" Rapunzel beamed happily.

"Yeah, just like that," Eugene nodded, "I'll officially ask you in the future. Once your parents have warmed up to me."

"They like you just fine."

"I think they haven't sent me back to the gallows just because they've already pardoned me of my crimes and you would go back to your moping if I were to leave you again."

"You won't though will you?" Rapunzel's voice was so full of hope and she looked at him, begging him to say he would not.

"Nope. As long as I can help it, I'll never leave you again," he said, "Which is why I'm giving you this ring... which by the way, you still haven't given me an answer."

Rapunzel stood on her tiptoes and gripped the front of his vest, pulling him down into a long, sweet kiss. "Of course!" she whispered after they released.

Eugene grinned stupidly, still in a daze from the kiss, and slipped the ring on her finger. "I'll talk to you again in a couple years."

Two years to be exact. Eugene officially proposed to Rapunzel the night before her twentieth birthday. It almost never happened, but he eventually came around to it and a wedding soon followed.

As for Levi, after much interference from Eugene and Rapunzel, he and Amelia ended up getting engaged and soon marrying. In fact they ended up having more kids than Rapunzel and Eugene did, which Eugene found amusing since Levi claimed he was not the type to settle down and have a family.

Eugene was accepted as prince consort throughout the kingdom and he and Rapunzel eventually took the crown after eight years of marriage. The royal couple and the king and queen of Faldonia remained close friends throughout their years as rulers. Nathaniel became an even greater king than his father had been. Rapunzel and Eugene's eldest daughter ended up marrying Nathaniel and Roseanne's son, officially joining the two kingdoms.

And they all lived happily ever after.

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_And scene! That's a wrap!_

_Hurray for a fairytale ending phrase. I swore I would never end a story with that phrase, but since this was technically a fairytale, I made an exception. _

_Thank you guys so much for reading! I actually really like this story now. I was so skeptical about it at first, but I warmed up to it. It has changed a lot from my original draft which was even darker and excluded the whole sub-plot of saving the kingdom from debt, but I like it so much better._

_Special thanks to some of those who have been my most devoted followers: AIOFanNCRM, WickedSong, PampleMousse07, Funkywatermelon, KiraJenLove, and Queen of the Elementals 09._


	17. NOT AN UPDATE But please read

_OK, sorry, sorry, sorry! This is not an update! Those of you who had this on story alert were probably like "what?" when you saw that I had updated. I repeat, THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE! I just have an announcement and a question._

_ANNOUNCEMENT:__ The trailer that I made that led me to writing this fanfic in the first place is available on my profile if you're at all interested._

_QUESTION:__ Would you guys like a sequel to this? I mean, I know I've sort of done that with my one shots in Just An Ordinary Day, but I mean like a full length story with all the suspense, mystery, etc. If so, just leave a review or send me a message._

_(PS: Thank you guys so much for reading this and reviewing! I was looking back at some of the old reviews on this and I remembered how my life would always get so much better each time I got a review on this! Hugs all around :D)_


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